Providing attractive health benefits at an affordable price is challenging for any employer in 2026 but especially for small and mid-sized businesses. These companies, which employ about half of the U.S. workforce, report average premium increases of 18%. Morgan Health, a business unit of JPMorgan Chase Bank, recently surveyed health benefits decision makers about the […]
What You Need To Know The Primary and Behavioral Healthcare Access Act bill would require plans to cover three annual primary care visits with no cost-sharing. The bill would also require plans to provide three behavioral health visits per year without cost-sharing. The bill introduction might be a sign that Congress is trying to pass […]
What You Need To Know Congressional leaders are trying to raise $200 billion to pay for the military action in Iran. The House Budget chairman has talked about changing the ACA subsidy system. The House Energy & Commerce chair has suggested bringing back health provisions cut out of the OBBBA package. Republican leaders in Congress […]
What You Need To Know The U.S. government could lose $2.2 trillion in 2027 on $5.9 trillion in revenue. Employee Benefits Security Administration funding could hold steady. The ACA exchange funding request is $34 million higher. The U.S. Department of Labor has trimmed references to civil monetary penalties — and most references to criminal investigations […]
Nontraditional and value-added products and services are generating a lot of buzz in the voluntary benefits marketplace, while the traditional mainstays of life and disability continue to capture the lion’s share of sales. But if the industry were a horse race, you’d see supplemental medical products including hospital indemnity, critical illness and accident coming up […]
Some state insurance regulators are uneasy about how they and their colleagues are regulating life insurance policies and annuity contracts that include long-term care benefits. Concerns about the regulatory environment for LTC hybrid products surfaced last month at a Senior Issues Task Force session at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ spring national meeting in […]
Key Insight: Discover how employees’ premium-focused choices create an “affordability trap” in open enrollment. What’s at Stake: Rising out-of-pocket exposure threatens worker financial resilience and employer benefits ROI. Forward Look: Expect increased AI use and demand for clearer, concise benefits communication strategies. Source: Bullets generated by AI with editorial review Most employees choose cheaper health plans over more […]
Just 19% of companies feel ready for pay transparency Key Insight: Learn how pay transparency can become a strategic advantage for retention. What’s at Stake: Noncompliance risks, talent loss, and reputation exposure for benefits and HR leaders. Forward Look: EU rules starting June and expanding state laws will escalate reporting and remediation demands. Source: Bullets generated by AI […]
The individual health insurance rules that federal regulators are developing for 2027 could help individual coverage crowd out more of the small-group market, according to Jeff Smedsrud. Smedsrud — a longtime supplemental health insurance benefits marketer who was the founder of HealthCare.com, and who now is the chief executive officer of Flex Benefits — predicted today […]
There’s a quote from Dave Chase that I think about constantly: “Imagine if a foreign country was causing this kind of collateral damage on our economy. We’d go to war in a second.” He wasn’t talking about a military threat. He was talking about health care. And the generation absorbing the most damage? The one […]