"Forty-three percent of working-age adults were inadequately insured in 2022.... Twenty-nine percent of people with employer coverage and 44 percent of those with coverage purchased through the individual market and marketplaces were underinsured. Forty-six percent of respondents said they had skipped or delayed care because of the cost, and 42 percent said they had problems paying medical bills or were paying off medical debt. Half (49%) said they would be unable to pay for an unexpected $1,000 medical bill within 30 days."   MORE >>

"[E]ffective January 1, 2023, the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave (MAPFML) contribution rate for employers with 25 or more covered individuals will decrease from 0.68% of eligible wages down to 0.63% of eligible wages."   MORE >>

"[C]an you overdo your HSA contributions and put more in the account than you're likely to spend on healthcare costs? The short answer is that it's unlikely, largely because HSAs have generous features around withdrawals. In a worst-case scenario where your HSA account balance exceeds your expected healthcare costs, you have two key ways to get your money out sooner without negating the tax benefits of the HSA."   MORE >>

"[The authors] estimate the median potential gain in profits from lowering ESI spending by $1,373 per employee per year is 3.54% for Fortune 500 companies.... Labor-intensive industries stand to see the largest profit gains from reducing their health care costs, although capital-intensive industries currently spend the largest percentage of total compensation on ESI. Thus, employers' gains from lowering ESI costs depend on both the ratio of capital to labor, as well as the skill level of labor required to successfully do business."   MORE >>

"A recent survey of large employers in the United States found: [1] Black, Hispanic and Latino, and LGBTQIA+ employees are substantially more likely than their White or straight counterparts to consider changing employers for better health benefits. [2] Men and women of color who need care are less likely than their White colleagues to have their needs met, including medical, dental, and vision care. [3] Black, Hispanic and Latino, and LGBTQIA+ workers are more likely to report struggling to meet basic needs."   MORE >>

"The requirement that employer-sponsored health insurance cover evidence-based preventive care is an excellent example of value-based insurance design, where the amount of out-of-pocket cost in a health plan is inversely proportional to the value of the care.... The ACA's preventive services list includes vaccinations, screenings for cancer, infectious disease, diabetes and some types of vascular disease, contraception and breast pumps. The total cost of these preventive services is relatively low." [ Braidwood Management, Inc. v. Becerra , No. 20-0283 (N.D. Tex. Sep. 7, 2022)]   MORE >>

"A recent decision by a very conservative court, issued by a very conservative judge, jeopardizes the future of these critical reforms for millions of individual consumers, small business owners, workers, and their families.... This case is ongoing, and the decision will hopefully be overturned on appeal, but the stakes for American workers and families are high. Preventive service coverage has been enormously consequential in improving access to care for millions of Americans and it is critical that this protection be preserved."   MORE >>