(KAISER HEALTH NEWS) — Employers seeking to get workers to join wellness programs and provide medical information can set financial rewards – or … Read more
Julie Appleby reports on the implementation of the health care overhaul law, the interplay of health care treatments and costs, trends in health insurance, and policy issues affecting hospitals and other medical providers, for Kaiser Health News. Contact her at jappleby@kff.org.
Feds Propose New Rule For Collecting Employee Wellness Information
By Julie Appleby, Kaiser Health News Federal regulators announced a proposed rule Thursday allowing voluntary employer workplace wellness programs to ask … Read more
Are Workplace Wellness Programs Improving Health, or a Recipe For Overtesting?
By Julie Appleby, Kaiser Health News As health insurance open season heats up for businesses across the country, many employees will discover that … Read more
7 Questions Your Employee’s Need You To Answer About Your Wellness Privacy
By Jay Hancock and Julie Appleby, Kaiser Health News If your company hasn’t launched a wellness program, this might be the year. Yes, more employers than … Read more
Why Is Pregnancy Such a Touchy Subject In Employee Wellness Health Assessments?
By Julie Appleby, Kaiser Health News “Are you pregnant?” It’s a topic employers generally avoid, since the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 prohibited … Read more
Same-Sex Couples Now Must Marry to Get Employer Health Benefits
Until recently, same-sex couples could not legally marry. Now, some are finding they must wed if they want to keep their partner’s job-based health … Read more
Study: Minimal Savings For Employers Who Cap Medical Payments
In an effort to slow health care spending, more employers are looking at capping what they pay for certain procedures — like joint replacements — and … Read more
Premiums For Job-Based Health Insurance Rose 3% This Year
Premiums for job-based insurance rose modestly for the third consecutive year, reflecting slowed spending, even as key elements of the federal health care … Read more
What You Should Know About the Next Big Benefit Change
After getting a green light from the Obama Administration earlier this month, more employers may begin to cap what they pay for certain medical treatments, … Read more
Employers See Little Increase in Workers Enrolling in Health Plans
Employers saw only a tiny increase in enrollment in their health insurance plans this year, even as key provisions of the Affordable Care Act — including a … Read more
Job-Based Family Health Premiums Up 4% For Second Year in a Row
For the second year in a row, health insurance premiums for job-based family coverage rose a relatively modest 4 percent, reflecting slowed health … Read more
Small Businesses in Some States May Have Insurance Choices in 2014
Small business workers in at least 15 states and the District of Columbia may have a menu of health insurance choices next year, something that didn’t seem … Read more
New Rules Increase Rewards, Penalties For Worker Wellness Participation
Employers will be able to increase rewards to workers who participate in wellness programs under final rules released Wednesday by the Obama … Read more
Health Perks For Executives May Trigger Penalties Under Obamacare
Many executives have long enjoyed perks like free health care and better health benefits for themselves and their families. But under a little noticed … Read more
Groups Fear Workers May Get Large Out-of-Pocket Health Costs Next Year
Consumer groups are warning that insurers and employers may be able to keep offering health plans next year that include out-of-pocket caps for individuals … Read more
Will Workers Lose Tax Break for Health Benefits in “Fiscal Cliff” Talks?
As the deficit debate continues, some policy wonks think it’s inevitable that negotiators will address a loophole that allows workers to avoid paying taxes … Read more
Report: Medical Care Spending for Employees Rose 4.6% Last Year
Spending on medical care for Americans with job-based insurance rose 4.6 percent last year, driven mainly by higher prices charged by hospitals and other … Read more
Overturning Federal Health Care Law Might Be a Mixed Bag For Employers
A decision by the U.S. Supreme Court (due to be announced later this month) to invalidate the entire Affordable Care Act would have vastly different … Read more
Many Offering Health Benefits to Same-Sex Couples Ahead of Laws
President Obama’s pronouncement last week in favor of same-sex marriage has no legal effect on employers’ decisions on whether to offer benefits to … Read more