Health PlansA 65-year-old couple exiting the workforce in 2013 is estimated to need $220,000 to cover health care costs throughout their retirement, an 8% decrease from last years $240,000.
On average, employees with both 401(k)s and health savings accounts tend to save more of their annual salaries (8.5% average annual deferral rate) in their DC accounts than employees with just a DC plan (8.1%).
The data from more than 3,000 hospitals that take Medicare, the governments health program for the elderly, showed that in some cases costs can drastically vary for hip replacements, bone fractures and treatments for kidney failure. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said it released the data for the first time to make the overall health system more affordable and accountable.
Ninety percent of Americans lack confidence that they have enough savings to cover emergencies and the long-term implications of serious illnesses, such as cancer, Alzheimers or heart disease, reports the National Institute for Wellness Solutions.
Health Management was thrown into the spotlight in December when the CBS Corp. television program 60 Minutes aired a report criticizing the companys emergency room practices. The company at the time called the report inaccurate.
A two-year study from UnitedHealthcare shows its disease management program for diabetes can help people with the condition manage it more effectively, while also reducing related costs for employers.
Thirty-six states received either a D or an F in a report card, issued by two nonprofit organizations, measuring the strength of health care price transparency laws.
Although the Supreme Court only recently took up the constitutionality of same-sex marriage, the issue has been around since the early 2000s, when large employers began to voluntarily offer health coverage to same-sex domestic partners.
A full three-quarters of the workforce thinks their employer will educate them about changes to their health care coverage as a result of reform, but only 13% of employers say educating employees about health care reform is important to their organization.
Reinforcing other studies, Truven finds that more than two-thirds of the 6.5 million emergency department visits during the study period for those under the age of 65 were avoidable and could have saved employers and health plans millions.
As most employers worry about whether to pay or play as of 2014 and whether or not certain employees will need to be counted as full-time for health care reform purposes, there is an elephant in the room: the approaching nondiscrimination rules that apply to all health plans that are not grandfathered.
The case raised the issue of whether a benefit plan administrator is entitled to full reimbursement for payments made to a plan participant injured in an accident where the participant sues and recovers damages from a third party.
Two employers, Darden Restaurants and Cummins, share how they reached the decision about whether or not to move employees to health care exchanges.
The Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and the Treasury released proposed regulations on how religious organizations should apply the contraceptive coverage requirements under PPACA, alleviating some concerns religious organizations had previously expressed.
The share of Americans who get health benefits through work dropped to 60% in 2011, continuing a decade-long slide that highlights the challenges facing President Barack Obamas insurance overhaul.