health
June 17, 2025
U.S. Prescription Drug Spending Rose 10.2% in 2024
A new report from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists revealed that prescription drug spending in the United States reached nearly $806 billion in 2024, up 10.2% from 2023. The increase was largely driven by the demand for weight loss medications, including glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs. GLP-1 medications are prescribed for diabetes and obesity and...
June 12, 2025
Workers’ Compensation Insurance Midyear Market Outlook
The workers’ compensation insurance segment has been an outlier compared to other lines of commercial coverage, with most policyholders encountering softening conditions and modest rate decreases for nearly a decade. According to the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI), strong reserves and manageable claims frequency and severity helped generate an average combined ratio of 91...
May 20, 2025
Supporting Employees During Mental Health Awareness Month and Beyond
Employee mental health has become a workplace topic of increased focus and awareness in recent years. An employee’s mental health includes how they think, feel and act, and their emotional and social well-being. While mental health includes mental illness, these two concepts aren’t interchangeable. For example, an employee can go through a period of poor...
May 13, 2025
New Executive Order Aims to Reduce Drug Costs by Aligning with Global Prices
On May 12, 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order (EO) that aims to bring the prices Americans pay for prescription drugs in line with those paid by similar nations. According to a White House fact sheet, the prices Americans pay for brand-name drugs are more than three times the price other nations pay....
May 1, 2025
OSHA Releases 2024 Injury and Illness Data
On April 17, 2025, OSHA released its 2024 workplace injury and illness data that was collected from its Injury Tracking Application (ITA). The data came from 370,000 reports submitted on the OSHA Form 300A Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses. In addition, OSHA has posted partial data from more than 732,000 OSHA Forms 300 Log...
April 17, 2025
One-quarter of Federal Spending in FY 2024 Was on Health Care
A KFF analysis found that $1 of every $4 in the federal fiscal year (FY) 2024 (Oct. 1-Sept. 30) was used to pay for health programs and services. The government spent $1.9 trillion (27%) on health care programs and services, while other large spending categories included Social Security (21%), national defense (13%) and interest payments...
April 1, 2025
The Critical Role of Employee Feedback in Developing Benefits Packages
In today’s competitive labor market, offering the right benefits package can make all the difference in attracting and retaining top talent. While employers often focus on benchmarking against industry standards or following trends, one of the most effective tools for building meaningful benefits programs is something much closer to home: employee feedback. Why Employee Feedback...
March 20, 2025
4 Reasons to Provide Employees with Ergonomic Furniture
Creating a workplace where employees feel valued and supported goes beyond offering competitive salaries and benefits. The right furniture can enhance comfort and have far-reaching impacts on safety, efficiency, and overall employee satisfaction. If you want to build a workspace that promotes well-being and success, consider these reasons to provide your employees with ergonomic furniture....
March 18, 2025
Navigating a Growing Array of Benefits Options
In today’s labor market, offering a robust benefits package is essential for employee attraction, retention and well-being. The rise of voluntary benefits to supplement mainstays such as health insurance, 401(k) and leave has resulted in more than 150 available options on the market for employers to consider. As such, it can be daunting for employers...
March 4, 2025
Navigating Cybersecurity Challenges in the Health Care Industry
Health care providers have been increasingly utilizing technology and turning to digitization. Innovations such as telehealth, artificial intelligence (AI), digital billing systems and connected devices continue to reshape the industry. Although technological advancements provide several key benefits and can enhance patient care, they create additional cybersecurity exposures. They also expand the attack surface for cybercriminals...