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Yes, the doctor visit was outrageously expensive. But did you even try to find a cheaper one? A survey by HealthMine, a wellness group, suggests that three-quarters of Americans don’t compare prices when seeking medical services. The survey included 569 people enrolled in wellness programs. If people assume that the cost of services is relatively […]

Workers value personalized benefits information yet few employers have implemented a tailored communications approach. Six in 10 employees say their benefits meetings would be more relevant if the communications were targeted by age, finds the Guardian Workplace Benefits Study, released Wednesday. Moreover, those within the first five years of employment feel that they need more […]

(Bloomberg) — A new bipartisan effort to cancel Obamacare’s Cadillac tax–the 40 percent levy on high-cost health insurance plans–adds a wrinkle to an impending fight in Congress. The repeal bill unveiled Thursday in the U.S. Senate by Nevada Republican Dean Heller and New Mexico Democrat Martin Heinrich stands little chance of becoming law soon, especially […]

As the unemployment rate continues to decrease (5.3 percent in June), employers report finding it more difficult to recruit high-quality workers to hire. Small businesses are particularly challenged by this trend, since they don’t have the same resources as larger businesses do in terms of recruiting departments, the ability to offer wages and benefits packages […]

Overview As employers prepare their health benefit packages for 2016, they must be up-to-date with current ACA and other developments that impact health plans. Here are the top 10 compliance-related issues employers should address during their planning, according to Mercer: 1) Employer shared-responsibility (ESR) strategy Ensure the intended goal of avoiding or paying ESR assessments […]

Very few of us are ready for the new PPACA reporting requirements. Many of us are aware that reports are due at year end, but haven’t even looked at the rules. Should we be concerned? The answer depends upon your company size and how your organization funds its group health benefits. What are we talking about? […]

The Department of Labor has sent proposed rules that would make it easier for states to mandate enrollment in retirement savings plans for workers without access to programs in the private sector. The Office of Management and Budget noted it received the rule, titled “Savings Arrangements Established by States for Non-Governmental Employees,” but the content […]

A recent press release from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) noted that, “Under Obamacare, individuals face a penalty for not buying health insurance. But now, even small businesses that choose to jump through hoops to help workers pay for healthcare costs could pay penalties.” In the past, business owners who did not offer […]

Maybe open enrollment season needs its own holiday, representational character, costume and home decorating theme. Despite  all the effort made by employers, insurers and human resources professionals, the gut feeling has been that open enrollment season is unpopular has been hard to shake. Now, we have a survey that quantifies just how much folks don’t celebrate […]

Telemedicine is becoming a hugely popular health care product, and a great way to connect doctors and medical facilities with patients. Although many people are still not familiar with its application or availability, the medical community is acutely aware of the cost savings and efficacy of providing direct access between the healer and the sick. […]