News

Americans are projected to spend $60 billion on their pets this year — and a quarter of that will go toward veterinary care. As the bills for Fido continue to increase, so too does the pet insurance industry. Today, there are more sophisticated treatments and more people know about pet insurance, which has led to […]

The Cadillac tax may have been postponed until 2020 but that doesn’t mean employers have put healthcare cost containment measures on the backburner. In fact, new research shows 90% of employers are planning myriad measures to control rising healthcare costs. The 2016 Medical Plan Trends and Observations Report, released today by DirectPath and CEB, highlights […]

Question: If an employee of an applicable large employer takes an unpaid leave of absence (not Family and Medical Leave Act), what happens to their benefit eligibility during that time? Answer: The answer depends on whether the employer is using the measurement and look back method of tracking employees or the monthly method. Measurement and […]

As companies strive to find new and better ways to attract and retain skilled workers, many have explored student loan debt repayment options as a way to differentiate themselves from the competition. Student Loan Genius in Austin, Texas, has taken a different approach to that option. Instead of having employers give a set amount of […]

The majority of U.S. employees believe they will be worse off than their parents in retirement, according to new research by Willis Towers Watson. The 2015 Global Benefits Attitudes Survey asked employees what their biggest concerns were when it came to their overall financial health. Their responses painted a bleak picture, including less generous Social […]

At this point, there’s only so much the Obama administration can do to boost health plan enrollment. The proverbial low-hanging fruit has already been picked, as the millions of remaining Americans who lack insurance remain stubbornly committed to living without coverage. At the end of the last open enrollment period, enrollment in the marketplace stood at […]

The ACA: Where do the presidential candidates stand? With Healthcare on the docket as a key domestic policy issue this election; here is where the front-runners stand on the ACA: Ben Carson The M.D. of the presidential hopefuls, Ben Carson advocates repealing the ACA and replacing it with health empowerment accounts (HEAs) to be given […]

Two common denominators are reshaping the dental and vision benefits equation: One is increasing awareness of their respective correlation to overall health, while the other is a growing desire for greater freedom of choice. Together, these key themes are expected to help elevate flat plan participation in a post-healthcare reform environment as employees and their […]

The number of employers offering a healthy living/incentive program grew in 2015, and is one of several trends to watch as the year 2016 unfolds, analysts say. Plan design changes and programs such as incentive and wellness were of increasing interest to employers last year and most “continue to turn to their brokers and consultants […]

In order to avoid potential pay or play penalties, do employers need to make an offer of health plan coverage to individuals receiving payments from a short-term disability or long-term disability arrangement? All large employers must offer health plan coverage to their full-time employees or potentially be subject to pay or play penalties. Under the […]