Employer-Paid

While single employee costs decreased, family costs increased. Employees with dependents had to pick up 3 percent more of the family premium, or $492 on average.

The average salary increase for salaried exempt workers will be right around 3 percent, Aon Hewitt found. Thats up slightly from the 2.9 percent seen in 2013, and would be the highest annual hike since 2008, when increases were at 3.7 percent.

Fast-food protests are under way in cities including New York, Chicago and Detroit, with organizers expecting the biggest national walkouts yet in a demand for higher wages.

The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits remained near the lowest level in more than five years last week, a sign that companies are cutting few jobs.

The institute's aim is to help create a large body of knowledge that would be the basis for best practices both procedural and spending-wise for a range of medical procedures.

Keas said its survey of more than 100 HR professionals found that three-quarters of them had taken steps to meet the laws original Jan. 1 deadline, and another 58 percent were confident they would be fully compliant by then.