Benefits

The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling on healthcare reform moved the national conversation forward. Now, employers are plotting their next moves, but what factors will weigh most heavily in their decision to either "pay" or "play"?

Some plans sponsors go to greater lengths than others to find ways to reunite former employees with their retirement funds.

The U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has delivered a positive decision for employers regarding workplace-related injury and illness. Yet, say employment-law experts, the decision -- while maintaining the status quo regarding certain reporting guidelines -- does have the potential for uncertainty in the future.

Despite continuing to grow at double-digit levels in 2012, two reports predict the rate of healthcare spending by employers will begin to stabilize or slow next year. But at least one expert warns: Don't be fooled by the headlines.

Beginning this month, new transparency rules on 401(k) fees go into effect, and experts agree that HR leaders need to pay close attention to the other changes coming later this summer and beyond.

There are both challenges and opportunities in the new era of healthcare reform, experts say, so employers should continue to monitor the situation closely. Beginning in the fall of 2013, employee communication and enrollment should include information about subsidies, exchanges, Medicaid and enrollment options.

While some may consider federal workplace-safety inspections to be a costly drain on productivity, researchers have recently found reduced injury claims and lower workers' compensation claims as a result of such visits.

The U.S. Supreme Court's 5-4 decision to uphold the healthcare-reform law ends one mystery, but it also leads to more questions for employers moving forward.

Total-rewards programs are designed to attract and motivate employees. But it appears many companies -- thanks to poor execution and lack of communication -- aren't seeing much of a return from their investments.

Sharing the costs of employee benefits between employer and employee can certainly be a tough balancing act, but new research finds senior finance executives exploring some new options.

* SparkPeople An interactive weight-loss program.

The Ford Motor Co., fresh on the heels of a major turnaround achieved over the past few years, is making change again. This time, the Dearborn, Mich.-based automotive giant is not announcing a new hybrid model or supply-chain strategy.

In the past, I haven't been the biggest fan of pet insurance. My skepticism stemmed from two concerns -- employees choosing pet insurance over important financial coverage, such as disability insurance, and the plan designs and premiums themselves.

A recently released study has found that many employee-assistance programs do not have a policy that would specifically help identify individuals who abuse -- or have the potential to abuse -- their intimate partners.

Anna Rappaport, the noted futurist and actuary, discusses in a Q&A her view on the state of retirement planning in the United States, the top retirement risks for workers and how HR can help mitigate them.

In the case of Haybarger vs. Lawrence County Adult Probation and Parole, the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals recognized for the first time that a supervisor at a private employer may be held individually liable for violations of the Family and Medical Leave Act.