The tough stance on benefits many employers are taking
During the past six months, 20% of employers have cut back on employee benefits. And if the economy doesn’t improve, 32% say they’ll do the same in the next six months. Since 2008, the Society for...
View ArticleFeds give employers more leeway in grandfathered plans
Good news: The feds just gave employers more leeway to make changes to their health plans and maintain their plans’ grandfathered status. The most recent healthcare reform FAQ from the Department of...
View ArticleFrom the IRS: New W-2 reporting rules
While smaller employers have been given a reprieve from having to report the cost of employees’ health insurance on W-2s, larger employers weren’t as lucky. Here are the feds’ new guidelines for...
View ArticleCarrots or sticks? What’s winning to change health habits
What is the biggest hurdle employers have to clear to accomplish their healthcare benefits goals? Motivating participants to change unhealthy behaviors. More than half (56%) of the 1,028 employers...
View ArticleControversial health reform study details released
The Obama administration did not like the picture McKinsey & Co.’s latest health reform study painted of life after the new law. But McKinsey is not backing down from its findings. The...
View ArticleWhite House scales back health reform’s claims, appeals regs
In what comes as welcome news to many employers, the Obama administration just eased some of the regs proposed last year involving internal healthcare claims and appeals processes. The regulations,...
View ArticleU.S. leads U.K., Japan, Germany in health spending
A new report shows Americans are spending more (much more) of their income on health goods and medical services than those in other countries. Americans age 60 and older spend roughly 33% of their...
View ArticleNation worse under reform, 60% of health pros say
What do healthcare professionals think of the reform law? Let’s just say they aren’t rabid fans. The vast majority (70%) of those surveyed recently said they think employer health plans and the...
View ArticleObama makes risky healthcare move: High Court to rule soon
The White House has declined to appeal a lower court’s ruling that the health reform law is unconstitutional. So it appears the Supreme Court could rule on the matter by the 2012 presidential election....
View ArticleTactic to bolster HSA participation some companies don’t use
Consistently encouraging employees to contribute to a health savings account (HSA) will only go so far. The best way to max out HSA participation rates is to stress its effectiveness as a retirement...
View ArticleThe effect of rising insurance costs on open enrollment, employee demands
With health insurance costs continuing to soar, employees are being asked to shoulder more of the financial load. But as a result, they have some demands of their own. For starters, nearly nine in 10...
View ArticleCheck your health plan: EEOC says denying this coverage is now discriminatory
Excluding a certain type of coverage from your company’s health plan has officially become risky business — even though it’s possible the same couldn’t have been said about this exclusion a few years...
View ArticleThe problem with consumer-driven healthcare, and what HR can do to help
Most employers see consumer-driven healthcare (CDH) as a key part of their long-term healthcare strategy. In fact, 75% of employers said CDH plans are a highly strategic part of their overall benefit...
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