News

LAS VEGAS–We’ve heard it before: Wellness programs are on the rise. (In fact, new research out this week from SHRM confirmed that wellness programs are continuing to grow in prevalence in workplaces around the country.) Still some employers just aren’t jumping on the bandwagon, or are slow to implement programs in their workplaces. But it’s […]

Few insurance plans available through Obamacare’s exchange system advertise themselves as “narrow network.” It’s not exactly a strong come-on to most consumers. But at least 41 percent of the popular silver plans sold via exchange in 2014 did, in fact, have what amounted to a narrow network when measured by how many physicians in the […]

Proposed regulations from the Department of Labor that aim to boost the number of workers eligible for overtime pay will likely increase the cost of doing business and may disproportionately affect some sectors, say legal analysts and industry groups. Last year the White House directed the DOL to update the overtime rules for salaried white-collar […]

The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling upholding federal subsidies for approximately 6.4 million Americans who have obtained health coverage through a federally-facilitated exchange  sends a clear message to employers that the Affordable Care Act is here to stay. In a 6-3 vote, King V. Burwell is the second U.S. Supreme Court ruling to uphold ACA legislation […]

Employers in the 51-100 employee size bracket are anxious about the prospect of being added to the “small group” market that under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) currently cuts off at 50 employees (unless states opt to raise it). “Small group” health plans face tougher standards under the ACA than large plans, such as having […]

LAS VEGAS—Don’t even think about considering wellness programs as just a flash in the pan. New research from the Society for Human Resource Management finds that wellness programs are continuing to grow in prevalence in workplaces around the country. The organization’s annual survey, released Monday during SHRM’s annual conference in Las Vegas, found a significant […]

Most employers subject to the Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate have focused on identifying full-time employees and ensuring they receive offers of adequate coverage. But the vast majority of employers are not prepared to meet — and some remain simply unaware of — the employer mandate’s complex reporting obligations. Whether your company has already reached […]

Workers in legal, same-sex marriages – no matter what state they live in – will now have the same rights as those in opposite-sex marriages to federal job-protected leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Department of Labor announced this week. The move updates the FMLA definition of the term “spouse” so that […]

Friday’s landmark ruling on gay marriage could pose both challenges and benefits to employers, as the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision irons out the patchwork system of laws across the country, but brings up new questions on current domestic partnership policies. In a 5-4 ruling, the court determined that states must issue marriage certificates to same-sex […]

The time of “what-ifs” for employers ended Thursday as the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling upholding the state subsidies challenged in King v. Burwell, and employers should maintain business as usual going forward, according to most industry observers. The court ruled 6-3 that contested language in the Affordable Care Act allows the administration to […]