This fall, tens of thousands of U.S. workers will learn that they're getting their health benefits next year in a radical new way: Their employers will give them a fixed sum of money and let them choose their plan from an online marketplace.
Among the companies already doing so are Sears Holdings and Darden Restaurants .
More health-industry players are launching online employer marketplaces, known as private exchanges, that let employers offer their workers a range of choices to shop from. Companies now jumping in include benefits-consulting firms like Xerox's Buck Consultants, Marsh & McLennan, Mercer and Towers Watson, as well as insurance brokerages such as Willis Group Holdings and Digital Insurance.
Insurers are creating their own versions, with Aetna planning to launch a "proprietary" marketplace model next year. WellPoint already has one, while UnitedHealth Group's Optum health-services arm owns an exchange operator.
The private exchanges for employers are separate from the government-operated marketplaces that are being created under the federal health law.
—Anna Wilde Mathews
The Wall Street Journal
Shorter Wait
A recent rule change lets certain borrowers who have gone through a foreclosure, bankruptcy or other adverse event—but who have repaired their credit—become eligible to receive a new mortgage backed by the Federal Housing Administration after waiting as little as one year. Previously, they had to wait at least three years.
To be eligible for the new FHA loans, borrowers must show that their foreclosure or bankruptcy was caused by a job loss or reduction in income that was beyond their control. Borrowers also must prove their incomes have had a "full recovery" and complete housing counseling before getting a new mortgage.
—Nick Timiraos
The Wall Street Journal
Refreshed Kindle
Amazon.com unveiled its latest Kindle e-reader. Known like its predecessor as Paperwhite, it has improved front-screen lighting and greater contrast.
The new device is available for preorder starting Tuesday for $119, including occasional advertisements, or for $139 without ads. Versions with a 3G connection are $189, though that will be released on Nov. 5, according to Amazon's website.
Additionally, Amazon said it would roll out software updates including integration of Goodreads, the book-recommendation site that Amazon purchased earlier this year.
—Greg Bensinger
Digits Blog
WSJ.com
Where the Jobs Are
Looking for work? Avoid the Northeast.
Bright.com, an aggregator of job postings and résumés, calculated which cities had the most job openings per population in August. The site found the highest ratios were in the Midwest and South, with a smattering of better job markets in the West.
No. 1 was the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area in Washington, with 168.44 job openings posted per 10,000 residents.
No city in the Northeast cracked the Top 10 in Bright.com's tally. In fact, the first Northeast area is Albany-Schenectady, N.Y., at No. 29.
—Kathleen Madigan
Real Time Economics Blog
WSJ.com— The Aggregator features news and commentary from The Wall Street Journal and other publications. Email: lindsay.gellman@wsj.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment