Voluntary benefits

On the whole, benefits professionals do feel a high level of satisfaction with the majority of technology they use, but shortcomings in end-user experience remain a frustration.

EBN’s inaugural technology survey indicates that 41% of respondents plan to increase their spending on technology next year, with 45% having already increased their spending from 2013 to 2014. Much of that spending is directed toward new employee portals and front-end systems to better integrate and utilize various benefits functionalities (health, retirement, voluntary benefits and more).

Commentary: The more companies we come in contact with, the more we hear this statement and the more we realize how much employers are relying on their broker, says Beverly Beattie.

Advisers need to know what employees want, what the competition is doing and be current on tax law before setting up an executive benefit plan.

Despite the past two decades of employer efforts to improve gender diversity and equality in the workplace, women remain underrepresented at most levels in the workforce and are not progressing in their careers.

With many employers moving to an online self-service model for benefits – and with the rapid changes in the health care industry – now more than ever, employees need an active guide to help them with their benefit selections and enrollment.

Commentary: The average working American is part of a financially fragile workforce and many are reacting to higher health insurance contributions that could spell long-term trouble, says voluntary specialist Tinker Kelly.

For the third time in recent months, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has launched legal action against a private employer, claiming discrimination on the part of the company’s wellness program.

Commentary: Why group benefit brokers are behind the curve when it comes to voluntary benefit sales — and how to fix it.

Employee purchases have increased $18 billion in the past decade, Unum study finds

Commentary: Blogger Kevin Hilst shares tips for benefit advisers and professionals on how to make sure a vision RFP zeroes in on what distinguishes a great product from a commodity.

On the heels of news about Aon Hewitt’s estimated more than 1.2 million HIX enrollees exceeding its expectations for 2015, Bright Choices Exchange operator Liazon is crowing about its own expansion plans.

Using an electronic, cloud-based system to help with your open enrollment can allow employees to take the extra time to make sure they're getting the most out of your voluntary offerings.

A benefits manager may assume that health care coverage and insurance needs are easily covered as employees head off to international worksites, but preparing for accidents - or the complexity of global insurance rules - requires some extra forethought.

With the ACA’s employer mandate on the horizon, many employers with part-time and variable hour employees are also re-evaluating their benefit offerings for part-time employees.

Targeting employee needs and purchasing preferences can boost engagement and enrollment with voluntary benefits. The way to personalize that message, experts say, is through the use of data analytics.

When West Pharmaceutical Services, a medical device company headquartered in Exton, Pennsylvania, surveyed employees at its corporate head office, it found that roughly 8% of the 400 employees at that location were interested in either receiving more information about special-needs education or receiving immediate help to navigate the school system for their special-needs child.

New plan designs mean "real opportunity" for sales to a key demographic in the long-term care market.

Commentary: Evolving technologies are creating a major shift in the enrollment landscape. Brokers and benefit advisers hoping to offer clients customized solutions need to stay in the know.

While freedom of religious expression has been at the heart of the ACA fight, it can be a more tricky matter when it comes to the EEOC, as highlighted in two recent cases.