Employee Benefit News

Fast-food calorie consumption declines in U.S., CDC says

Americans say they’re filling up less on fast food and pizza, according to a U.S. survey.

Pentagon extends same-sex benefits short of health care

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who is preparing to retire, extended benefits such as child care, commissary privileges and transportation to military bases to same-sex partners of service members.

The new age of EAPs

Its time to take a closer look at employee assistance programs .

Health account balances on the rise, but 2014 could see a dip

Americans are again taking advantage of health savings accounts and health reimbursement arrangements. According to new research, average account balances across the nation in 2012 were up 4% from the year before.

Oklahoma rebuts U.S. in state’s challenge to health care act

Oklahoma opposed a request by the U.S. that a judge dismiss the state’s lawsuit challenging President Obama’s 2010 health-care reform legislation.

WellPoint profit beats estimates on lower medical spending

The second-biggest U.S. health insurer’s 2013 forecast reflects “uncertainties” that include a flu outbreak, U.S. budget negotiations and implementation of President Obama’s health care overhaul.

Employers at the Intersection of Public and Private Exchanges

With the final provisions of the Affordable Care Act slated to take effect in 2014–including the implementation of public exchanges—employers are taking a hard look at the impact these changes may have on their benefit programs for 2014 and beyond, and are evaluating the possibility of engaging private exchanges.

Don’t miss this web seminar for a lively discussion on the status of public exchanges, the rapidly developing private exchange market, and what it all means to employers.

Topics of discussion will include:

• State exchanges, partnerships, and federally facilitated exchanges: their differences and the players behind them
• Critical decisions for states and the impact on employers
• Whether or not employers can offer group insurance and send low wage workers to the public exchange
• Emerging exchange models for different employer types and sizes
• Opportunities for employers within different exchange types

Speakers:

• Brett Graham
  Managing Director
  Leavitt Partners

• Don Garlitz
  Executive Director
  Exchange Solutions, bswift

Featuring:

CVS, Rite Aid see flu shot shortages amid demand surge

Two of the largest U.S. drugstore chains, said they are running short of influenza vaccines as an earlier and more severe flu season drives up demand from Michigan to New Jersey.

UnitedHealth joins Mayo Clinic in pact to improve care

UnitedHealth Group Inc., the largest U.S. provider of medical coverage, will join the Mayo Clinic in a research alliance designed to merge insurance records and medical data to find more efficient ways to deliver care.

Methods to overcome enrollment barriers

The majority of employees still report a lack of confidence in their benefit decisions after open enrollment. Trustnode CEO Kevin Dunn shares ways to improve the process and increase satisfaction with benefit choices.

Flu hitting U.S. fast as insurers brace for claims

The U.S. influenza season is off to a fast start, which may hurt insurers, hospitals and people lulled by the milder outbreaks of the recent past.

Health spending grows at half pre-recession level in 2011

Health-care spending in the U.S. grew at less than half the pre-recession level for the third straight year, as employers shifted more costs to strapped workers and state governments limited payouts for the poor.

UnitedHealth retail stores sell insurance with a smile

The biggest U.S. medical insurer is learning to sell health insurance to consumers the way other companies sell shoes, office supplies or iPhones — through a storefront — as PPACA’s sweeping reforms take place.

The attack on self-funding

Brokers may need to be concerned about how a proposed change by the NAIC to the current stop-loss model could essentially trap their clients and remove their options for affordable care – effectively forcing them into state exchanges and eliminating the role of the broker, writes EBA Blogger Sam Fleet.

Key data from the 2012 UBA health plan survey

United Benefit Advisors recently released the results of its 2012 Health Plan Survey. Since it’s the largest and most comprehensive health plan benchmarking survey in the industry, the results are always interesting, says the company's CEO.