The Daily Brief for Benefits Professionals
BenefitsWire
Health & Welfare Plans
July 14, 2026
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6 items · ~3 min read
In this issue
Health & Welfare Plans (2) · Litigation (2) · General Benefits (2)
Health & Welfare Plans
2 items“The Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) limits the share of premium income that insurers can keep for administration, marketing, and profits.” MORE >>
Source: KFF
“Nearly half of U.S. workers worry that using disability benefits could hurt their future career prospects, according to a new survey, highlighting the need for better education about leave policies and employee protections. ... Forty-seven percent of workers say they have felt pressure to minimize or hide a health issue at work, while only about half trust their employer to prioritize their well-being over productivity. Among employees who have experienced income loss because of an injury or illness, 72% say the financial impact was greater than expected, including 36% who say it was much worse than anticipated.” MORE >>
Source: Employee Benefit News
Litigation
2 items“In Fitzgerald v. Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, No. 23-13169, 2026 WL 1990460 (E.D. Mich. July 9, 2026), District Judge David M. Lawson granted judgment to a former automotive production worker whose ERISA-governed long-term disability benefits MetLife had terminated, holding that MetLife improperly denied the claim by applying the wrong plan definition of disability and by crediting file-review reports that failed to engage the central evidence of Plaintiff's psychiatric impairment. The court awarded benefits for the remaining months of the plan's benefit period rather than remanding to the administrator.” MORE >>
Source: Roberts Disability Law
“Despite the earlier ruling, the court found that the IRS has the legal authority to issue the certification needed to assess the penalty and to administer the Internal Revenue Code without an express delegation to another agency. Since the Code contains no express delegation of this task, the IRS can issue the certification. Therefore, the court entered judgment in favor of the IRS in denying the refund claim. Supreme Linen creates a split among the federal district courts as to whether the IRS or the HHS has the legal authority to issue the certification necessary for assessment of an employer shared responsibility penalty.” MORE >>
Source: Hall Benefits Law
General Benefits
2 items“Under Senate Bill 1295 (Public Act 25-113), sweeping amendments to the Connecticut Data Privacy Act (CTDPA) took effect on July 1, 2026, with one key obligation – a new profiling impact assessment – following on August 1, 2026. The amendments widen who must comply, broaden the data the law protects, and add new obligations around profiling, artificial intelligence, minors' data, and privacy disclosures. ... Because the second and third triggers contain no numerical threshold, any business that processes sensitive data or offers personal data for sale may now fall within the scope of the CTDPA, even a very small one.” MORE >>
Source: Foley & Lardner
“either a partisan reconciliation bill or a bipartisan post-election lame duck bill could provide a vehicle for tax legislation, but both vehicles face significant and growing challenges. ... The role of a tax title in the bill is still unclear, although there may be more risk of tax increases to fund the legislation than opportunities for tax relief. ... a lame duck bill could emerge that could address a number of shared bipartisan priorities including tax administration reform, tax extenders, the U.S.-Taiwan "treaty" relief legislation, retirement savings, digital asset taxation, technical corrections, and perhaps some legacy items given the large number of taxwriting committee members that” MORE >>
Source: Miller & Chevalier