"New York is the first state to enact mental health-focused statutory provisions for 'AI Companions,' requiring user disclosures and suicide prevention measures for emotionally interactive AI systems.... [C]hatbots, digital wellness tools, mental health apps or even productivity assistants with emotionally aware features could fall within the scope of AI Companions depending on how they interact with users[.]"  MORE >>

"The 2026 ACA affordability threshold increases to 9.96%. The easiest way to ensure affordability in 2026 is to meet the federal poverty line affordability safe harbor by offering at least one medical plan option (that provides minimum value) for which the monthly employee-share of the premium for employee-only coverage does not exceed $129.89. Otherwise, employers calculate the affordability threshold under one of the other safe harbor approaches that is based on employee compensation levels."  MORE >>

"In initial filings, insurers nationally are seeking a median rate increase ... of 15% ... For the 2025 plan year ... the median proposed increase was 7%.... Most insurers are asking for 10% to 20% increases.... [I]nsurers say underlying medical costs -- including the use of expensive obesity drugs -- will add about 8% to premiums for next year. And most insurers are also adding 4% above what they would have charged had the enhanced tax credits been renewed."  MORE >>

"[1] New drugs influencing benefits ... [2]  Legislation impacting drug costs ... [3] Vaccine season is approaching ... [4] Maximizing use of biosimilars ... [5] What’s next for GLP-1s?"  MORE >>

"[On] average, these mergers led to price increases for hospitals and physicians of 3.3% and 15.1%, respectively, with no discernible effects on quality measures. ... [P]rice increases are larger among transactions with greater scope for foreclosure and recapture. ... [These] tests offer guidance in predicting where the anticompetitive effects of non-horizontal mergers are likely to be strongest."  MORE >>

"The healthcare sector is undergoing a significant AI-driven transformation. From clinical decision support and diagnostics to patient triage, claims handling, and predictive analytics, AI offers significant benefits in speed, accuracy, and efficiency. Yet alongside this progress comes a harder truth: AI is introducing new types of risk -- algorithmic bias, opaque accountability, system error.... While the promise of AI in healthcare is clear, the protection around it still needs work."  MORE >>

"[E]xpanded flexibility for health savings accounts (HSAs) and new restrictions on premium tax credit eligibility ... may reduce the risk of triggering an employer shared responsibility penalty under the [ACA].... Limiting the deduction of excessive remuneration.... Expanding the application of excise tax on excess compensation within tax-exempt organizations."  MORE >>

"The company signed a memorandum of agreement adopting a union collective bargaining agreement and the terms of the Fund's trust agreement. That trust agreement included a personal liability clause providing that 'officers and directors' of signatory employers would be personally liable for underpayments caused by willful violations of the agreement.... The court emphasized that this presented a textbook factual dispute: the signature in a representative capacity suggested no personal liability, while the clause implied the opposite." [R.R. Maint. & Indus. Health and Welfare Fund v. Mahoney, Nos. 24-2704, 24-2817 (7th Cir. Jul. 17, 2025)]  MORE >>