"Employees are no longer entitled to accrue paid leave while using paid leave hours.... If an employer chooses to offer additional benefits to employees on paid leave, the employer must do so in the same manner and to the same extent as if the employee had performed regular work.... Employers are required to compensate employees by the payday for the pay period following the pay period during which employees are on paid leave."  MORE >>

"[T]he legislature amended FAMLI to provide up to an additional 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave for any parent who has a child receiving care in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).... [T]he amendment slightly lowers the premiums collected from each employee used to finance the wage replacement available under FAMLI."  MORE >>

"Beginning January 1, 2026, the law will cover victims of a hate crime ... For purposes of leave and accommodation, 'hate crime' will explicitly include offenses that are committed through online or internet-based communication.... The amendment will also effectively expand the reasons for which employees may use paid sick leave under the Washington Minimum Wage Act."  MORE >>

"Effective January 1, 2027, SB 5217 expands Washington's Healthy Starts Act to apply the law to employers of any size, require scheduling flexibility for postpartum appointments, mandate paid lactation accommodation breaks, and impose civil penalties."  MORE >>

"[E]ffective January 1, 2026, [Oregon SB 1108] expands the reasons employees can use legally required paid sick leave to include blood donation connected with a voluntary program approved or accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks or American Red Cross. As a result, Oregon will join San Francisco on the list of mandatory paid sick leave laws that allow employees to use leave for donation purposes (in San Francisco, paid sick leave is usable for bone marrow or organ donation)."  MORE >>

"[T]he Fifth Circuit ... granted a request from plaintiffs ... to vacate and conduct an en banc review of an appellate panel's decision to uphold the government's methodology for determining QPAs and, by extension, compensation for out-of-network providers. If the Fifth Circuit rules differently, MCOs could again be thrown into limbo regarding how to appropriately calculate QPA rates."
[Texas Medical Association (TMA) v. HHS, No. 23-40605 (5th Cir. Oct. 30, 2024; petition for rehearing granted May 30, 2025)]   MORE >>

"BCBSGA accuses Sound Physicians (a large, multistate physician group) and its subsidiaries, together with HaloMD, Inc., of systematically submitting thousands of ineligible disputes to the NSA's IDR process. BCBSGA alleges the scheme involved falsely attesting to claim eligibility, overwhelming the IDR process, and inflating offers, resulting in millions of dollars being improperly awarded to Sound Physicians on those claims."
[Blue Cross Blue Shield Healthcare Plan of Georgia, Inc. v. HaloMD, Inc., No. 25-2919 (N.D. Ga. complaint filed May 27, 2025)]  MORE >>

"the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for Supplemental Health premium is expected to exceed 10% through 2030 – a stark contrast to the CAGR anticipated for life and disability products. If these forecasts are correct, it will make Supplemental Accident and Health products the fastest growing non-medical premium volume in the Health and Welfare space."  MORE >>

Video of June 5 hearing. Opening statement: Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) Witness: DOL Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer.  MORE >>

"[W]hen claims are denied, employees often find themselves navigating complex administrative appeals without adequate support or guidance. This critical gap between benefit promises and actual employee experiences presents both significant risk and opportunity for employers. For HR leaders and executive teams, employee benefits advocacy through structured legal support is now a strategic necessity."  MORE >>