The Daily Brief for Benefits Professionals
BenefitsWire
Health & Welfare Plans
July 30, 2026
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6 items · ~2 min read
In this issue
Health & Welfare Plans (5) · Regulatory Action and Guidance (1)
Health & Welfare Plans
5 items“The recently proposed 2027 Medicare Hospital Outpatient Perspective Payment System (OPPS) rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) includes a proposal to reduce Medicare’s reimbursement for 340B drugs.” MORE >>
Source: KFF
“The program, which went into effect in 2025 to stabilize Part D premiums and enrollment, isn’t needed anymore, the agency said. The IRA, passed in 2022, included a number of changes to prescription prices and coverage, such as caps on out-of-pocket drug spending for Medicare Part D enrollees. The law also shifted more costs onto Part D insurers, likely leading to higher expenses and premiums. An analysis by the Government Accountability Office found beneficiaries’ monthly premiums would double on average if they stayed in the same plan from 2024 to 2025. In a bid to keep premiums and enrollment in Medicare steady, the CMS launched the Part D Premium Stabilization Demonstration.” MORE >>
Source: Healthcare Dive
“As a mother of four and a caregiver to aging parents and loved ones with disabilities, I've experienced both the rewards and the strain of caring for others. I've also been fortunate to have strong support from my employers — something many working caregivers don't have.” MORE >>
Source: Employee Benefit News
“Once overlooked and under-researched, menopause has become one of the fastest-moving frontiers in health law and investment.” MORE >>
Source: JD Supra
“Employers worry about worker satisfaction and turmoil on the ACA exchanges, according to the survey. More generous financial assistance for ACA health plans lapsed at the end of last year, increasing premiums for beneficiaries and pushing some to drop coverage or enroll in cheaper coverage. Employers are concerned that the marketplace may be too pricey for their workers. More than 80% of large employers and small companies with a health plan said they were at least somewhat worried that individual market out-of-pocket costs could be too high for some employees.” MORE >>
Source: Healthcare Dive
Regulatory Action and Guidance
1 item“Compliance News | July 29, 2026 As required by the recently issued final rule on independent dispute resolution (IDR) operations under the No Surprises Act, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has provided an update on the status of the new IDR portal known as the IDR Gateway.” MORE >>
Source: Segal
Also of Note
- Proposed Rules Would Update Long-Standing Electronic Disclosure Safe Harbors for Health and Welfare Plans — “The Department of Labor recently issued proposed regulations that would implement sweeping revisions to long-standing electronic disclosure safe harbors for health and welfare plans.” (JD Supra)
- Show Your Work: Fifth Circuit Stresses the Importance of Thorough Harassment Investigations — “Quick Hits Factual Background The employee, a Black woman and naturalized U.S. citizen born in Ghana, worked as a registered nurse at the hospital.” (Ogletree Deakins)
- Benefits Monthly Minute - July 2026 — “The July Monthly Minute highlights the DOL’s new proposed electronic disclosure rule, a significant employer-friendly tobacco-surcharge ruling, and a Seventh Circuit decision reinforcing the importance of express authority in POAs purporting to waive QJSA rights....” (JD Supra)
- Roberts Disability Law Defeats Unum’s Attempt to Move ERISA Disability Case: Court Keeps Long-Term Disability Claim in Plaintiff’s Chosen Forum — “Roberts Disability Law, P.C. secured a procedural win for its client in Goldman v. Unum Life Insurance Company of America, No.” (Roberts Disability Law)
- From family issue to business issue: The ROI of children's health — “As employers shape their 2027 benefit strategies, one issue sits at the center of the conversation: The cost of healthcare keeps climbing.” (Littler)
- Medicare Program; Updates to the Master List of Items Potentially Subject to Face-to-Face Encounter and Written Order Prior to Delivery and/or Prior Authorization Requirements; Updates to the Required Face-to-Face Encounter and Written Order Prior to Delivery List; and Updates to the Required Prior Authorization List — “The Federal Register announced HRSA's plan to submit an Information Collection Request to OMB for the Health Center Program Forms, seeking public comment on the burden estimate and other aspects of the request.” (Federal Register)
- Open Executive Session to Consider the Taxpayer Assistance and Service Act — “Senate Finance Committee Democrats introduced an amendment to ban IRS tax audit immunity agreements for sitting presidents and extend the statute of limitations for audits, aiming to prevent future corruption.” (Senate Finance Committee)
- Don't lose high performers to burnout, urges NFL player turned leadership speaker — “When he was selected by the Detroit Lions in the 2008 NFL draft, linebacker Caleb Campbell was dubbed "America's athlete" by an ESPN analyst, but rather than excited, he felt overwhelmed.” (Employee Benefit News)
- Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection: Public Comment Request; Information Collection Request Title: Health Center Program Forms-OMB No. 0915-0285-Revision — “In compliance with the requirement for opportunity for public comment on proposed data collection projects of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, HRSA announces plans to submit an Information Collection Request (ICR), described below, to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).” (Federal Register)
- Health and Health Care Experiences of Uninsured Immigrants — “As of 2024, there were about 50 million immigrants residing in the U.S.” (KFF)