Open enrollment crunch time: 5 things employers need to know

By Harry Gottlieb

Open enrollment is here, and employers have to get employees up to speed on the benefits options available to them. And because the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is making this process so complex, Harry Gottlieb, a champion for simple, engaging employee communication, has assembled five things employers need to be aware of during this year’s open enrollment.

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Top 7 mental mistakes employees make during open enrollment

By Christian Schappel

Mistakes made during open enrollment in previous years can help employers figure out what to do to ease the annual headache this year – for themselves and their employees.

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65% of workers don’t understand HSAs: What HR can do

By Jared Bilski

 

As the use of health-savings accounts (HSAs) continues to increase significantly, you’d think workers’ understanding of this healthcare tool would grow right along with it. Unfortunately, many workers are still confused about the basic features of HSAs.

 

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The nuts and bolts of how the government shutdown affects you

By Tim Gould

 

You may have heard: The federal government’s in shutdown mode. Does this mean employers won’t have to worry about being hounded by EEOC and DOL investigators for awhile?

The answer, as usual: It depends. First off, it’s possible Congress will get its act together within a couple of days. Secondly, if your firm is already deep into a complaint investigation with a federal agency, that process will likely continue — although things may unfold more slowly due to the EEOC, DOL and NLRB staff shortages.

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Five Things We Learned About Public Health Exchanges on Day 1

By David Albertson

 

Critics say technology glitches showed public exchanges were not ready for opening day. Proponents of health reform said server-crashing traffic to exchange sites were proof of strong interest. Here's a more objective rundown of learnings from the opening of public exchanges, offered by Kev Coleman, director of Data & Research for Healthpocket:

 

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More Obamacare delays announced as exchanges open

By Christian Schappel

 

The web-based health insurance exchanges established by Obamacare are officially open for business – just not for everyone.

 

Shortly before the exchanges opened, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that small businesses will not be able to buy health insurance online through the new marketplaces until November.

 

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Tip Tuesday! Homework involved for PPACA coverage

By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Getting covered under President Barack Obama's health care law might take you more than one sitting. In a media preview Monday, it felt like a cross between doing your taxes and making an important purchase that requires research.

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