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Industry Updates

This broad category includes articles concerning health insurance costs, carrier and health plan news, changing benefits technology, and surveys by the Kaiser Family Foundation and others on employee benefits.

Senate Proposes Health Changes to ‘Big Beautiful Bill’

Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee have unveiled that chamber’s version of the “big, beautiful” reconciliation package, which includes notable changes from the House’s proposal. The bill will be the subject of intense scrutiny in the Senate, where more moderate Republicans have balked at significant cuts to Medicaid while the party’s more conservative wing has ...

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Democrats Introduce Bill To Establish A Medicare ‘Part E’ Public Option

Medicare Part E as outlined in the bill would sustain itself through premiums, with enrollees able to sign up through any state or federal insurance marketplace. Any existing subsidies available for Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans would be applicable to Part E coverage.

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The Price You Pay for an Obamacare Plan Could Surge Next Year

Extra subsidies put in place during the pandemic which reduced premiums are in place only through Dec. 31. Without enhanced subsidies, Affordable Care Act insurance premiums would rise by more than 75% on average, with bills for people in some states more than doubling.

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Paid Family Leave Credit Would Expand Under Republican Tax Bill

Congressional Republicans are poised to expand an obscure tax credit that helps companies provide paid family leave for their workforces, with plans to make the rarely used provision permanent. Lawmakers authorized the credit, known as Section 45S, in 2017 as a two-year trial amid calls for paid family leave for working parents — a national standard in ...

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Amazon Reorganizes Health-Care Business In Latest Bid To Crack Multitrillion-Dollar Market

For the better part of a decade, Amazon has been trying to carve its way into the U.S. health-care market, through billions of dollars worth of acquisitions, big-name hires and high-profile partnerships. It’s been a slog at times, and the company’s long-term strategy hasn’t always been clear. Following a series of executive departures, Amazon is now restructuring ...

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Employees Spend 18 Minutes Choosing Benefits: Why Lack Of Clarity Costs Employers Dearly

As employers and employees attempt to settle into the current reality of rising health insurance costs, employers need a solution that will ensure benefits don't just look good on paper but also work in practice, so quality doesn't have to be sacrificed for affordability.

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Democratic Governors Seek To Roll Back State-Funded Health Care For Undocumented Immigrants

A trio of states with Democratic governors viewed as potential 2028 presidential candidates have taken steps in recent weeks to freeze or cut government-funded health care coverage for undocumented immigrants. Democratic Govs. Gavin Newsom of California, JB Pritzker of Illinois and Tim Walz of Minnesota have largely attributed the proposals to budget shortfalls stemming from ...

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How Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Threatens Access To Obamacare

Major changes could be in store for the more than 24 million people with health coverage under the Affordable Care Act, including how and when they can enroll, the paperwork required, and, crucially, the premiums they pay.

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‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Spurs Democratic Plans For Emergency Actions To Counter Cuts

Blue state policymakers from Connecticut to California to New York are raising the specter that they will call lawmakers back for special sessions to tackle what could amount to hundreds of millions of dollars in additional costs as a result of President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.”

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Kennedy’s Vaccine Panel Contains Skeptics, Nonspecialists

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday announced eight members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, populated mainly by critics of the nation’s COVID-19 vaccine policies or those who don’t specialize in vaccine science. In a post on the social platform X, Kennedy said the members ...

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