"A historic low of 31% of people in the United States say their mental/emotional well-being is excellent ... Despite multiyear public service campaigns in the media, and messaging by many progressive employers to normalize talking about mental health, many workers remain afraid to speak up or seek help."  MORE >>

"[T]he value of the corporate fitness center has never been greater. And it can be an extraordinary benefit to employees in 2024.... [1] Human connection is key to employee retention.... [2] Younger employees are taking fitness much more seriously.... [3] Personalizing the employee experience means more than it used to."  MORE >>

"U.S. employers expect to see healthcare costs increase by 7% this year, marking the second year in a row employers predicted a leap beyond the average 4-5% annual increases. Amid economic and political uncertainty, many employers are hesitant to throw money at a problem that is destined to only grow worse -- and for many companies, it's becoming harder to avoid passing on those increased costs to employees."  MORE >>

"Agents whose clients have been affected say the switches ramped up last year and are continuing into 2024, although quantifying the problem continues to be difficult. The problem seems concentrated on the federal healthcare.gov website ... CMS declined to provide the number of complaints that have been filed."  MORE >>

"A bipartisan group of Alabama state senators has filed a bill that would give education employees 12 weeks of paid parental leave. If the bill is passed, educators could take parental leave in the event of the birth, adoption, miscarriage or stillbirth of a child.... Alabama currently does not offer teachers or state employees any paid parental leave."  MORE >>

"While enforcement of the evolving legislative and regulatory landscape remains a concern, what is clear from the latest IDR Reports is the emergence of a vast underestimation in the number of cases being brought to arbitration.... 10 parties initiated as many as 78% of the cases, with SCP Health, Team Health and Radiology Partners accounting for as much as 58% of initiated disputes for the first six months of 2023.... [P]roviders won 77% of IDR cases, while 82% of awards to the winning party was the offer closes to the qualifying payment amount."  MORE >>

"[H]eightened legal risks are forcing many employers to reconsider their hands-off approach to purchasing healthcare -- delegating the management of plan assets to insurers or third-party administrators owned by insurers. While employers and workers benefit from lower healthcare spending, insurers and administrators usually do the opposite.... It's time for employers, especially those with geographically concentrated workforce, to consider circumventing insurers and directly contracting with providers."  MORE >>