When employers think about fiduciary responsibility, retirement plans often come to mind first. But recent developments make it clear that fiduciary duties also matter—sometimes significantly—when it comes to employer-sponsored health and welfare plans.
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). Instead, they expect detailed, data‑driven documentation showing that mental health and substance‑use‑disorder benefits are truly comparable to medical and surgical benefits. This includes not only the written plan design but also how rules are applied in real‑world scenarios.
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. That’s a dramatic change for employers, especially considering that specialty drugs represent fewer than 5% of total prescriptions.
Amid a steep rise in accident severity and litigation costs, commercial auto insurers are turning to telematics technology to improve risk assessment and help stabilize a market under financial strain.
As Marketplace health plan premiums rise and subsidies shift, employers are seeing more requests from employees (and their spouses) to drop Marketplace coverage and enroll in an employer-sponsored health plan mid-year. While this may feel straightforward, Marketplace rules and employer plan rules do not always work the same way.
Health benefit costs are projected to rise nearly 9% in 2026, putting significant pressure on employers to balance affordability with employee satisfaction. Against this backdrop, artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a transformative tool in the benefits space.
In August 2025, a tractor-trailer owned by a third-party freight carrier was transporting thousands of pounds of frozen hot dogs when it overturned and struck another vehicle on Interstate 83 while traveling through York County, Pennsylvania, resulting in the meat products spilling across the highway. According to local authorities, the incident occurred on a weekday morning during rush-hour traffic as the tractor-trailer was nearing an exit ramp. In this moment, the driver of the truck reportedly lost control due to an undisclosed mechanical problem, causing it to tip over, hit a nearby passenger vehicle and tear open the boxes of tightly packed hot dogs in the process.
Forklifts play an important role in moving materials safely and efficiently in many workplaces. However, even a simple task like getting on or off a forklift can lead to serious injuries if not done correctly.
School districts work hard to keep students safe, but employee safety deserves the same level of focus. Workplace injuries not only impact staff well-being, they can also lead to higher workers’ compensation costs, staffing disruptions, and operational strain.
Ransomware attacks on school districts are no longer rare events — they are targeted, disruptive, and expensive. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, ransomware continues to be one of the most prevalent cyber threats impacting public institutions, including K-12 schools. For districts, the consequences go beyond financial loss. Instructional time is disrupted. Sensitive [...]
