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 Republicans are scrambling to rewrite major parts of their “big, beautiful bill” in deference to key holdouts and the chamber’s parliamentarian as the clock ticks on a self-imposed deadline. GOP leaders are aiming to start voting Thursday, but senators emerged from a closed-door briefing on the status of the megabill Monday night saying that some of ...
Proposed federal spending cuts to health care in Republicans’ “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” may increase some families’ medical debts by as much as $22,800, according to a new report from Third Way, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. The Republican budget bill proposes $1.1 trillion in cuts to health care that target both Medicaid and Affordable Care Act coverage. ...
A group of cybercriminals hacked into data systems at insurance company Aflac, possibly gaining access to sensitive information such as Social Security numbers and health reports, the company said on Friday. Aflac, which boasts millions of customers, “identified suspicious activity” and “stopped the intrusion within hours,” the company said. The company attributed the attack to a “sophisticated ...
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 ...
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.
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.
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 ...
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 ...
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.
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 ...