Employee Benefits Report – September 2026
The 2026 Mental Health Access Crunch: Employers Turn to Direct-to-Provider Networks
A System Under Pressure
Mental health access has become one of the most pressing benefits challenges of 2026. Employees seeking therapy or psychiatric care are facing wait times of six to twelve weeks in many regions. Read on for details.
Pharmacy Carve Outs Gain Ground as Employers Seek More Control Over Drug Costs
A Shift Toward Transparency
Pharmacy costs continue to rise in 2026, driven by specialty medications, GLP 1 utilization, and new gene therapy treatments. Many employers are discovering that their medical carriers’ pharmacy programs offer limited transparency and few levers for cost control.
Read on for details.
Paid Leave 2.0: States Expand Mandates, Employers Race to Standardize Policies
A Growing Compliance Puzzle Paid leave laws are expanding again in 2026. Several states have broadened eligibility, increased wage replacement rates, and added new covered reasons for leave. Multi state employers are struggling to keep policies consistent while staying compliant with a patchwork of rules.
Read on for details.
Digital Physical Therapy: A Practical Tool for Reducing MSK Claims
Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions remain one of the top drivers of medical claims. Back pain, joint issues, and repetitive motion injuries affect employees across industries. Traditional physical therapy works, but access varies widely and costs can escalate quickly. Read on for details.
Insurance Buyers News – September/October 2026
The 2026 Commercial Insurance Market: One Market, Two Directions
Commercial insurance buyers are navigating a market that seems to be moving in two directions at once. Property insurance is finally loosening, offering lower premiums and broader terms for well managed risks. Read on for details.
AI Risks Are Now Real Risks: What Businesses Need to Know
Artificial intelligence has moved from the experimental corner of the office to the center of daily operations. Businesses use AI to screen résumés, analyze financial data, monitor equipment, and communicate with customers. Read on for details.
Tariffs, Trade Policy, and the Rising Cost of Claims
Tariffs and shifting trade policies are affecting more than supply chains — they’re quietly increasing the cost of insurance claims across multiple lines. When the price of auto parts, building materials, and specialized equipment rises, the cost of repairing damage rises with it.Read on for details.
Workers’ Compensation: Stable, But Showing Early Warning Signs
Workers’ compensation remains one of the most stable commercial lines, offering predictable pricing and steady results for most businesses. Many employers continue to see flat or slightly reduced premiums, thanks to strong safety programs and long term improvements in workplace injury rates Read on for details.
Employee Benefits Report – August 2026
The 2026 Healthcare Cost Surge: Mid-Year Strategies Employers Can Still Deploy
Healthcare costs are rising faster in 2026 than most employers expected. Mid-year projections from national carriers show medical trend running between 6.5% and 10%, driven by higher inpatient costs, increased specialty-drug use, and a sharp rise in GLP-1 prescriptions. Read on for details.
Lifestyle Spending Accounts (LSAs): The Fastest-Growing Benefit of 2026
Lifestyle Spending Accounts (LSAs) are becoming one of the fastest-growing benefits of 2026. Employers are adopting LSAs because they solve a problem traditional benefits have struggled with for years: personalization. Employees want benefits that fit their lives, not one-size-fits-all programs. LSAs give them that flexibility.
Read on for details.
ICHRAs Gain Momentum: Why Employers Are Reconsidering Defined-Contribution Health Benefits
Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements (ICHRAs) are gaining real traction in 2026 as employers look for predictable costs and more employee choice. For many organizations, traditional group health plans have become too expensive, too complex, and too difficult to manage across multiple states. Read on for details.
Preventive Care Incentives: Small Changes That Reduce Big Claims
Preventive care has become one of the most reliable ways for employers to reduce long-term medical claims, yet participation rates remain stubbornly low across many organizations. The challenge isn’t employee resistance—it’s lack of structure. Read on for details.
Employee Benefits Report – July 2026
The 2026 Compliance Crunch: What Employers Must Do Before Fall
Employee benefits managers are facing one of the busiest compliance years in more than a
decade. Several major federal requirements are converging at the same time, and most of them carry real penalties for employers that miss deadlines or fail to document their efforts. The result is a mid-year “compliance crunch” that is catching many organizations off guard. Read on for details.
Paid Family Leave Expands Again: What Employers Must Update Before 2027
Paid family leave (PFL) continues to expand across the country, and 2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal year. Several states have launched new programs, others are increasing benefit levels, and more legislatures are considering mandatory paid leave for the first time. Read on for details.
Financial Wellness 2.0: Emergency Savings, Student Loan Repayment, and New Options Under SECURE 2.0
Financial stress continues to be one of the biggest challenges facing today’s workforce. Employees are dealing with rising living costs, higher interest rates, and lingering debt from the past decade. Read on for details.
Financial Wellness Quick Wins
Financial wellness doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. Many employers assume they need a full suite of tools and long-term planning resources before they can offer meaningful support. But in reality, some of the most effective improvements are simple, low-cost steps that help employees feel more stable right away. Read on for details.
Insurance Buyers News – July/August 2026
The Liability Squeeze: Why Businesses Are Paying More for Less Protection
Commercial insurance buyers are entering 2026 facing a challenge that’s becoming impossible to ignore: liability insurance is getting more expensive, harder to secure, and more restrictive — even for businesses with clean loss histories. Read on for details.
The Rise of AI Driven Underwriting: What Buyers Need to Know
Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the insurance industry, and underwriting is one of the areas seeing the most dramatic change. While AI has been used behind the scenes for years, 2026 marks a turning point.Read on for details.
Environmental Liability Insurance: Why Demand Is Surging in 2026
Environmental liability insurance — once considered a niche product for heavy industry — is now seeing a surge in demand across a wide range of businesses. New regulations, emerging contaminants, and rising cleanup costs are reshaping how insurers evaluate environmental exposures. Read on for details.
Why Insurers Are Asking About Your Supply Chain
Supply chain risk has become a major underwriting factor across multiple lines of insurance — not just for manufacturers or importers. In 2026, carriers are asking far more detailed questions about how businesses source materials, manage vendors, and prepare for disruptions. Read on for details.
Employee Benefits Report – June 2026
Pharmacy Costs Are Surging Again — What Employers Can Actually Do in 2026
Pharmacy spending is once again the fastest growing component of employer health plans. Specialty drugs now account for more than half of total pharmacy spend, and GLP 1 medications for diabetes and weight management are reshaping budgets. Employers are feeling the pressure: rising premiums, unpredictable claims, and employee expectations for access to high cost therapies. Read on for details.
Self Funding for Small and Mid Sized Employers: Why 2026 Is the Breakout Year
Self funding is no longer just for large employers. In 2026, small and mid sized businesses are embracing level funded and partially self funded plans at record rates. Rising premiums, greater access to stop loss coverage, and improved data analytics are making self funding a viable option for groups as small as 25–50 employees.
Read on for details.
The Mental Health Access Crisis: How Employers Can Expand Support Without Breaking the Budget
Mental health needs have surged across the workforce, but access to care has not kept pace. Long wait times, provider shortages, and rising claims are creating frustration for employees and cost pressure for employers. Benefits managers are searching for solutions that improve access without dramatically increasing premiums.
Read on for details.
Lifestyle Spending Accounts: The Most Flexible Benefit Employers Are Adding in 2026
Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions remain one of the top cost drivers in employer health plans, and 2026 is shaping up to be another challenging year. Rising rates of chronic back pain, joint issues, and repetitive-strain injuries — combined with increased surgical utilization — are pushing MSK spending higher across all industries. Read on for details.
Employee Benefits Report – May 2026
The New Wave of AI-Driven Benefits Administration: What Employers Need to Know in 2026
Artificial intelligence has been creeping into benefits administration for years, but 2026 marks the moment it becomes a defining force. Employers are adopting AI-powered tools not just to streamline enrollment or answer routine questions, but to reshape how employees navigate care, how plans are managed, and how compliance risks are monitored. Read on for details.
Chronic Condition Management 2.0: GLP-1 Alternatives and New Digital Therapeutics
Chronic conditions have long been the pri¬mary driver of employer healthcare spend¬ing, but 2026 marks a turning point in how organizations are approaching prevention, treat¬ment, and long-term management. With GLP-1 medications dominating headlines — and bud¬gets — employers are urgently exploring comple¬mentary or alternative strategies that can improve outcomes without unsustainable cost growth. Read on for details.
The Return-to-Office Reset: How Benefits Are Being Re-Engineered in 2026
After several years of experimentation, many employers are tightening hybrid schedules or requiring more in-office days. This “return-to-office reset” is reshaping benefits strategies as organizations look for ways to support commuting employees, improve onsite experience, and maintain flexibility. Read on for details.
Musculoskeletal (MSK) Costs Surge Again: What Employers Can Do
Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions remain one of the top cost drivers in employer health plans, and 2026 is shaping up to be another challenging year. Rising rates of chronic back pain, joint issues, and repetitive-strain injuries — combined with increased surgical utilization — are pushing MSK spending higher across all industries. Read on for details.
Insurance Buyers News – May/ June 2026
The Great Divergence: Why Property Is Softening While Liability Keeps Getting Harder
The commercial insurance market is entering a new phase—one defined not by a single trend, but by a widening split between property and casualty lines. For the first time in several years, businesses are seeing meaningful relief in parts of their insurance programs while facing continued pressure in others. Read on for details.
Commercial Auto Losses Keep Rising — What Businesses Can Do Now
Commercial auto continues to be one of the most challenging lines of insurance for U.S. businesses, and 2026 is shaping up to be no exception. While property insurance is finally showing signs of relief, commercial auto remains stubbornly unprofitable for insurers. Read on for details.
Valuations Under the Microscope: Why Accurate Property Values Matter More Than Ever
Even as parts of the property insurance market begin to stabilize, one issue remains firmly in the spotlight: property valuations. Carriers are scrutinizing reported values more aggressively than at any time in the past decade. For businesses preparing 2026 renewals, accurate valuations are no longer just a best practice—they are a prerequisite for securing competitive terms. Read on for details.
Nuclear Verdicts: How Social Inflation Is Reshaping Liability Claims
Liability claims are becoming more expensive across the country, and one of the biggest drivers is the rise of “nuclear verdicts”—jury awards that exceed $10 million. These outsized judgments, once rare, have become increasingly common in cases involving bodily injury, commercial vehicles, and allegations of corporate negligence. Read on for details.
Employee Benefits Report – April 2026
The 2026 Specialty Drug Surge Part 2: How Employers Are Rewriting Their Pharmacy Strategies
Specialty drugs have been a major cost driver for years, but 2026 marks a turning point in both scale and urgency. … specialty medications are projected to account for more than 60% of total pharmacy spending this year. Read on for details.
Mental Health Parity Enforcement Part 2: A New Compliance Reality for Employers
Mental health parity has been a compliance requirement for more than a decade, but 2026 marks a decisive shift in how aggressively federal agencies are enforcing it…regulators expect detailed documentation, transparent processes, and clear evidence that mental health and substance use disorder (MH/SUD) benefits are administered on equal terms with medical and surgical benefits. Read on for details.
Financial Wellness and Household Stability: Why Employers Are Making It a 2026 Priority
For years, employers focused their wellbeing strategies on physical and mental health. But in 2026, a different force is reshaping workforce stability: financial stress. Read on for details.
Rising Healthcare Costs and Affordability Pressures
Healthcare costs are rising at their fastest pace in more than a decade, and employers are feeling the strain. After an 8% jump in 2025, medical plan costs are projected to climb another 9–10% in 2026, driven by higher hospital prices, specialty drug spending, and increased demand for behavioral health services. Read on for details.
Employee Benefits Report – March 2026
The 2026 Specialty Drug Surge: What Employers Need to Prepare For
Specialty drugs have been a major cost driver for years, but 2026 marks a significant shift in both scale and urgency. With GLP 1 medications expanding into new indications, gene therapies entering the market at record pace, and oncology drugs continuing to rise in both cost and utilization, specialty medications are projected to account for more than 60% of total pharmacy spending this year. Read on for details.
The New Era of Mental Health Parity Enforcement in 2026
Regulators Are Increasing Scrutiny
Federal agencies have made mental health parity enforcement a top priority in 2026, and employers sponsoring group health plans are feeling the impact. Regulators are no longer satisfied with high level assurances that plans comply with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA). Read on for details.
The Return of Onsite and Near Site Clinics in 2026
A Shift Back Toward Local Care
After several years of virtual first care, onsite and near site clinics are making a strong comeback in 2026. Employers are rediscovering the value of providing convenient, high quality care directly to employees — and in many cases, their families.
Read on for details.
Voluntary Benefits in 2026: Expanding Choice Without Raising Costs
Voluntary benefits continue to gain momentum in 2026 as employers look for ways to expand support without increasing core medical plan costs. Employees are seeking more personalized options, and voluntary benefits offer a flexible way to meet diverse needs Read on for details.
Insurance Buyers News – March/ April 2026
Commercial Insurance Outlook 2026: Property Finds Its Footing, Casualty Splits, Auto Deteriorates
As 2026 gets underway, commercial insurance buyers are navigating a marketplace that looks markedly different from the broad, relentless increases of the past several years. The story now is one of stabilization in commercial property, divergence across casualty lines, and continued deterioration in commercial auto. Read on for details.
Cyber Insurance Market Stabilizes as Security Controls Improve
After several years of sharp rate increases and tightening underwriting standards, the cyber insurance market is finally showing signs of stabilization. As more organizations adopt stronger cybersecurity controls … underwriters are gaining confidence that insureds are better equipped to prevent, detect, and contain cyber incidents. Read on for details.
Large Liability Claims Push Companies to Reevaluate Limits
The liability landscape has shifted dramatically over the past decade, and 2026 is proving no exception. As nuclear verdicts grow larger and social inflation continues to accelerate claim severity, many businesses are taking a hard look at whether their current liability limits are still adequate. Read on for details.
What Underwriters Look for in Cyber Submissions
As the cyber insurance market stabilizes, underwriters are placing greater emphasis on the quality and clarity of each submission. Strong cybersecurity controls can lead to better pricing, broader coverage, and more predictable renewals — but only when they are well‑documented. For 2026 renewals, businesses should understand the key elements underwriters evaluate. Read on for details.
Employee Benefits Report – February 2026
2026 Compliance Update: More on Last Month’s Key Regulatory Changes
In our January issue, we outlined the major compliance themes shaping 2026. This month, we build on that foundation with a deeper look at the annual updates, effective dates, and action steps employers need as the new year begins. Read on for details.
How Employers Are Responding to Rising Employee Expectations in 2026
Over the past two months, several major surveys — including the 2025 SHRM Employee Benefits Survey, the ADP TotalSource Employee Benefits Survey, and the 2025 National Benefits Survey — have painted a clear picture: employees are demanding more meaningful, more personalized, and more supportive benefits than ever before. Employers, facing a tight labor market and rising competition for talent, are responding by reshaping their benefits strategies around five core themes. Read on for details.
Telehealth in 2026: How Virtual Care Is Transforming Access, Quality, and Cost
Telehealth has moved far beyond the video visit boom of the pandemic. In 2026, virtual care is becoming a core component of the U.S. healthcare system — improving access, reducing administrative burden, and lowering costs for employers and employees alike. New technologies, expanded reimbursement, and AI driven tools are reshaping how care is delivered across specialties. Read on for details.
What the Latest Surveys Reveal About Employee Expectations
Recent national surveys offer a clear, numbers driven picture of what employees value most — and where employers are investing to stay competitive. Here are the most significant findings, grouped by survey. Read on for details.