"[T]he new draft regulations could affect efforts to use small-group exchange plan coverage or help workers with individual coverage health reimbursement arrangements use the ICHRAs to sign up for individual health coverage. The draft regulations could also have indirect effects on employer plan coverage, by reducing people's access to individual ACA exchange plan coverage and increasing pressure on workers to get health coverage through their employers."  MORE >>

"[T]he bill's July 1, 2025 effective date remains unchanged.... Small group carriers have to offer to employers the option to cover infertility under this law. Small employers, however, don't have to provide coverage for infertility services.... The law's definition of 'infertility' ... encompasses both single people of either gender as well as same-sex couples."  MORE >>

"[S]mall employers would be required to contribute to the program just like larger companies.... [House Bill 1213] also mandates that small businesses restore employees to their positions after family or medical leave -- something only larger businesses were required to do before. In practical terms, that means a five-person company must now hold a job open for up to 18 weeks while an employee is on leave.... [T]he bill now moves to the Senate, where it is expected to face continued debate."  MORE >>

"New York lawmakers recently passed a wide-ranging health information privacy bill that would require entities to obtain consent to collect, use, or sell an individual's health information except for designated purposes....[T]he bill broadly defines both regulated entities and regulated health information, and it would potentially impact companies nationwide that may not otherwise consider themselves to be collecting individuals' private health information.... Senate Bill 929 ... has not yet been sent to Governor Kathy Hochul's desk for signature."  MORE >>

"The funding patch contains limited healthcare extenders and funding. It extends telehealth flexibilities for Medicare beneficiaries and providers, which will allow telehealth visits to be conducted from an expanded list of locations, including the patient's home, and will allow an expanded list of provider types to furnish telehealth."  MORE >>

"Weight loss benefit provider Wondr Health surveyed 73 employers who use their product, comparing the employee engagement levels between companies that offered financial incentives in the form of wellness points or dollars and companies that offered nothing at all.... [E]mployers with financial incentives edged out companies without by less than 2% when it came to the average sign-up rate. However, there was just a 0.1% difference in weight loss results, with financial incentives barely coming out ahead."  MORE >>

"[E]mployee perceptions of their employer’s commitment to wellbeing are declining, suggesting a growing gap between expectations and reality. This disconnect makes it clear that businesses must regularly review and adjust their healthcare strategies. With employee needs and industry trends constantly evolving, staying flexible and proactive is key to providing meaningful support."  MORE >>

"Some machine learning models trained exclusively on existing patient data didn't recognize about 66% of injuries that could lead to patient death in the hospital ... A separate study ... found that about 65% of U.S. hospitals use AI-assisted predictive models, most commonly to figure out inpatient health trajectories."  MORE >>