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Employers that sponsor health plans will face a new layer of compliance risk under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026, which imposes sweeping transparency and reporting rules on pharmacy benefit managers.

The law aims to open up the "black box" of prescription drug pricing, but it also puts both self-insured and fully insured employers closer to the compliance line, with potential civil monetary penalties that can reach $10,000 per day for reporting failures and $100,000 per violation for knowingly providing false information.

The U.S. Department of Labor has proposed a rule that would ease restrictions on including cryptocurrency and other alternative assets in retirement plans.

The proposal would not require plans to add these investments, but it would make it easier for fiduciaries to do so without fearing lawsuits or regulatory scrutiny. At the same time, it raises important questions for participants about risk, transparency and long-term retirement outcomes.

During the last three years, a new driver of health plan costs has emerged: a growing share of employees are postponing doctor visits, screenings and even medications until conditions worsen.

Instead of early, lower-cost intervention, employees are entering the system later and sicker. This is fueling more catastrophic claims, higher utilization of emergency services and ultimately higher costs for employer-sponsored plans.

We've all seen the headlines about inflation retreating from its highs during the COVID pandemic, and lately the current annual inflation rate is near 3%, yet many consumers wonder: "If that's the official inflation rate, why do my bills and other costs seem so much higher than last year?"

Many of us ask ourselves that question. The problem is that when the government reports inflation, it does so for a basket of goods, and some elements of that basket, like transportation, may be much higher than the average rate reported. That can explain why your home heating bill is 15% higher than last year, while average inflation is hovering between 2% and 3%.

But besides affecting the price of goods and services you pay for regularly, inflation can also affect your investments. 

For many U.S. workers, health insurance remains confusing, intimidating and underutilized. Despite the billions employers spend on benefits each year, a large share of employees does not fully understand how their coverage works or how to use it effectively.

When employees lack health care literacy — the ability to find, understand and use health information and services — they are more likely to delay care, make poor medical decisions and incur unnecessary costs. Fortunately, you as an employer are in a prime position to help them.

Wage and hour lawsuits are spiking for California employers. One of the biggest issues that businesses are facing is when employees work while on their lunch breaks.

Here's why that can land your business in legal trouble and facing large fines.

As we get closer to another scorching California summer, Cal/OSHA is reminding employers with outdoor workers to take precautions to protect them against the heat.

California employers need to be especially mindful as Cal/OSHA has workplace safety regulations governing the prevention of heat illness and the agency actively enforces its heat illness prevention standard.

Cal/OSHA is urging employers to take the steps outlined in this article to prevent heat-related illness among their employees who work outdoors.

If your employees feel pressured to answer work-related calls, e-mails or text messages off the clock, many of them will do so even while driving. That can put your organization at risk of lawsuit should they be involved in an accident.

If you've accumulated substantial assets, you know you need robust insurance protection. However, if you haven't checked your policy limits over the last few years, you could be at risk of underinsurance due to a surge in home rebuilding costs over the last six years.

If you have a high-end home, would your current homeowner's insurance cover a major claim?

As the new school year starts and high schoolers get into the groove of hanging out with friends, they may go to parties after their school football games on weekends.

Unfortunately, these events often become occasions for teenagers to drink alcohol. Teens at unsupervised parties risk harming themselves and others when they drink. Parents of kids who throw these parties, with or without their parents' knowledge or consent, may bear responsibility for what happens there — and for injuries or damages that occur after guests leave.

As our lives get more high-tech, one feature of your home may one day go the way of the typewriter: your house key.

From fingerprint sensors to Bluetooth and Wi-Fi-enabled systems, keyless entry products are rapidly transforming the way Americans secure their homes.

These keyless systems may not be for everyone, particularly anyone that's not comfortable with technology. 

A new study has found that following a diet that consists of processed foods can quickly result in weight gain.

In the study, 20 participants lived in a lab for four weeks, spending two weeks on a diet rich in highly processed foods and two weeks on one rich in whole foods. When they ate mostly processed foods, they took in on average 500 more calories per day and gained on average 2 pounds, mostly in the form of fat.