Insurance

Health insurance premium penalties are taking hold

01/18/2012

Premium penalties tied to health problems are on the rise, according to a study by Towers Watson and the National Business Group on Health. In 2012, nearly 40% of larger employers plan to penalize employees who don’t participate in wellness programs, or for not meeting certain health goals.

It’s time to give your wellness program a legal checkup

01/12/2012

Many employers (and the consultants who encourage them) aren’t doing a good job of managing the legal risk and cost associated with wellness programs that ignore the law. Federal, state and sometimes local laws can affect wellness programs. Employers need to understand them.

Chicago’s City Colleges take charge of leave, insurance

12/30/2011

The City Colleges of Chicago has ended its practice of allowing employees to “cash out” sick days when they quit their jobs. The policy applies to administrators and nonunion employees hired after Jan. 1, 2012, and is a first change resulting from a comprehensive review of benefits ordered by the school’s chancellor last fall.

Health premiums rose faster than pay

12/28/2011

Premiums for health benefits rose faster than employee pay in all 50 states from 2003 to 2010. Total premiums for family coverage—what employers and employees pay—increased 50%, and employees’ annual share of premiums increased by 63%.

Minnesota agencies settle retirees’ age-bias lawsuit

12/14/2011

The Minnesota departments of Natural Resources, Commerce and Public Safety have settled EEOC age discrimination charges that resulted from early retirement packages offered to senior state employees.

Proving the ROI of wellness programs just got easier

11/24/2011

Every employer seems to be jumping on the wellness bandwagon in an effort to curb health care costs. But it’s always been hard for HR to prove its wellness investment is worth it. Reason: the inability to nail down a return on investment (ROI) on wellness programs. Now, a host of new approaches and tools have come to the rescue.

What do you think? Should the Supreme Court affirm or overturn the Affordable Care Act health-care reform law?

11/22/2011

The 2010 health reform law is about as popular with HR pros as it is with the public.

Supreme Court to decide: Is health care reform law constitutional?

11/15/2011

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to the sweeping federal health-care reform law enacted in 2010, deciding the constitutionality of the Obama administration’s signature domestic policy achievement. No matter how the High Court rules, its decision could affect HR and employee benefits for years to come.

Health care reporting: What you need to do now

11/15/2011

If dealing with year-end 2011 hasn’t caused enough anxiety, lurking just around the corner is W-2 reporting of employees’ health benefits. If you’ll be filing at least 250 W-2s for 2012 and don’t have a self-insured plan that’s not subject to COBRA, you’re on the hook for health care reporting, beginning next year.

Health premiums rose 9% this year; average family plans top $15,000 for first time

11/14/2011

Health insurance premiums paid by employers this year rose by 9% from 2010, much faster than workers’ wages (2.1%) and general inflation (3.2%), according to a Kaiser Family Foundation annual report.