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While your health insurance will cover most of your health care costs, if you are hit with a serious illness, you'll likely be out more than just your out-of-pocket expenses for health care.

The time off recuperating or receiving treatment can cut into your ability to earn a paycheck and pay the myriad of recurring expenses you're faced with: rent or a mortgage, car payments, credit card payments, utilities, food…you get the picture. Did you know there's an inexpensive solution?

The biggest advantage of term life insurance is that it's affordable. It provides the greatest possible protection for the lowest monthly premium — for a while. Most people buy term life insurance to protect their families for 20 years or so, or until the children are grown. Term life is often the most cost-efficient solution for these temporary protection needs.

But what happens when your term policy is about to expire — and you still need life insurance protection?

A recent decision by a U.S. Court of Appeals illustrates how robust documentation on the part of employers can thwart questionable discrimination lawsuits filed by employees or job applicants.

While the decision by the appellate court for the Fourth Circuit in Chapman v. Maryland Department of State Police is not binding outside Maryland, it reinforces the notion that consistent, specific and timely documentation can defeat discrimination lawsuits before they go to trial.

Rebuilding a home is a major undertaking, whether you're repairing damage after a loss or adding new space. But many homeowners don't realize that once construction begins, their homeowner's insurance won't cover parts of the structure that are being built or the materials being used.

So, what can you do if you are rebuilding or upgrading your home?

The U.S. property-casualty insurance industry is on track to grow faster than the overall economy in 2025, according to a new analysis from the Insurance Information Institute and Milliman.

Strong premium growth and more manageable replacement costs have helped insurers turn in a better year than many expected, even as economic risks linger. The story behind these numbers is that the insurance market has become more stable and resilient than it was just a few years ago. That doesn't mean rates are falling or that all lines are healthy, but it does signal a market that is less crisis-driven and better able to absorb shocks from inflation, supply chains and natural catastrophes.

The U.S. construction industry spent 2025 balancing extraordinary project demand with persistent economic and operational pressures.

Federal infrastructure funding continued to push billions into public works, while private-sector development in data centers, warehouses, clean-energy facilities and advanced manufacturing held steady. Yet inflation, supply-chain constraints, rising material costs and a deep workforce shortage intensified risk, elevating the importance of insurance in particular for complex, high-value projects.

Here's a look at the main developments in construction insurance for 2025.

For your group health plan enrollees, finding a doctor who accepts their plan should be straightforward since each plan typically has a network of physicians available for enrollees.

However, enrollees regularly learn that a doctor that is clearly listed in their health plan's provider list is no longer in their insurance company's network, which can result in delayed or denied care as well as higher out-of-pocket costs. Welcome to the problem of health plan "ghost networks," or "ghost providers," which are usually the result of outdated provider lists.

A new study has found that children who own a smartphone by age 12 face significantly higher risks of depression, obesity and inadequate sleep — and those risks rise the earlier they receive one.

The study, published in Pediatrics and conducted by the University of Pennsylvania, found the younger they are when they get the device, the greater the risks. The research suggests that early, constant access to smartphones can disrupt sleep, physical activity and emotional well-being during a critical stage of development.

Employers are heading into what may be one of the most challenging years for managing group health costs.

The Business Group on Health's new Trends to Watch in 2026 report outlines developments that will shape next year's benefits environment. Rising medical and pharmacy spending, a rapidly changing policy landscape and increased pressure for innovation may pressure employers to revisit long-standing strategies and consider new ones.

Health insurers pledged in June 2025 to overhaul their processes as part of a Trump administration initiative to reduce the volume of prior authorization requirements and modernize how requests are handled.

Many insurers targeted Jan. 1, 2026, for measurable reductions, but how far have they gotten?

While e-commerce has made life extremely convenient for us to order virtually anything to be delivered directly to our homes, it has brought a growing army of vans and trucks into our neighborhoods, changing traffic patterns in ways that put motorists, cyclists and pedestrians at greater risk.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has quietly rolled out the most dramatic shift in its enforcement posture in decades, narrowing some protections and targeting others, especially around disparate impact, diversity, equity and inclusion and gender identity.

The new enforcement focus, initiated by a series of executive orders by President Trump, stands in contrast to established federal law. This creates a new area of uncertainty where employers can be targeted by the EEOC for failing to comply with commission guidance while also being exposed to private legal action under Title VII.