The state’s economy started 2026 as the nation’s No. 2 performer – its highest ranking among U.S. states for business growth in just over a dozen years. That bit of Golden State economic sparkle was discovered by my trusty spreadsheet in its review of state-by-state gross domestic product figures for the first quarter from the U.S. Bureau ...
A new report suggests small businesses are losing talented employees because management isn’t offering benefits that actually fit workers’ needs and priorities. “Today’s workforce needs aren’t one-size-fits-all anymore, but many small businesses still feel forced into one-size-fits-all benefits,” according to the “Small Business ‘Bene-Fit’ Gap Report” from Justworks, a cloud-based HR and payroll platform for ...
With midterm elections now less than four months away, cost tops the list of voters’ health care concerns, a new KFF Health Tracking Poll found. Half of all voters, including 6 in 10 Democrats and 55% of independents, said this issue is extremely important for candidates to talk about. At the same time, more than ...
As the Trump administration’s January deadline looms for states to enforce new Medicaid work requirements, some state lawmakers are turning the tables by pushing to publicly name the largest companies that have employees enrolled in the government program covering low-income and disabled people. California lawmakers seek to revive an expired law that would require the state to ...
A federal judge in the U.S. District Court of Maryland temporarily blocked several provisions of a recently finalized rule that would change Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces beginning July 20. The lawsuit was filed in June by a group of municipalities: Columbus, Ohio; Chicago; Baltimore and Pima County, Arizona—as well as Doctors for America and the Main Street Alliance. ...
Industry giant UnitedHealthcare is adding its voice to the chorus of insurers criticizing the current state of the No Surprises Act’s independent dispute resolution process. During the company’s earnings call on Thursday morning, company executives pointed to IDR as a drag on its commercial business. Dan Kueter, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Employer and Individual, said during ...