The Daily Brief for Benefits Professionals
BenefitsWire
Health & Welfare Plans
August 7, 2026
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6 items · ~2 min read
Top of the Brief
GLP-1 medications in the United States: The status of coverage, utilization management, and cost in a rapidly evolving market“Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medications have become a dominant driver of drug spending, with total expenditures in the United States rising to $71.7 billion in 2023, up from $13.7 billion five years earlier. More recent data show that GLP-1s are now the largest and fastest-growing drug category, driven by expanding indications and sustained demand for obesity treatment. As these medications reshape drug spending and clinical practice, payers face mounting pressure to make coverage, utilization management, and contracting decisions—but in this rapidly shifting reimbursement landscape, there is a lack of long-term data available to inform strategic choices.”
In this issue
Health & Welfare Plans (1) · Litigation (3) · General Benefits (2)
Health & Welfare Plans
1 item“Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medications have become a dominant driver of drug spending, with total expenditures in the United States rising to $71.7 billion in 2023, up from $13.7 billion five years earlier. More recent data show that GLP-1s are now the largest and fastest-growing drug category, driven by expanding indications and sustained demand for obesity treatment. As these medications reshape drug spending and clinical practice, payers face mounting pressure to make coverage, utilization management, and contracting decisions—but in this rapidly shifting reimbursement landscape, there is a lack of long-term data available to inform strategic choices.” MORE >>
Source: Milliman
Litigation
3 items“There are now more than 75 tobacco surcharge class actions pending in federal courts across the nation.” MORE >>
Source: Boutwell Fay
“The court held that the harm Plaintiff alleged, termination of his employment and employment benefits, is quintessentially reparable by money damages. Salaries, short-and long-term disability benefits, life-insurance payments, and retirement benefits are all denominated in terms of money, and denied or withdrawn health-insurance coverage is ultimately monetary in nature and generally remediable with damages.” MORE >>
Source: Roberts Disability Law
“Employer-sponsored group health plans are facing a growing wave of ERISA class action lawsuits, and the claims are getting bolder, including claims of “financial dominance”. ... These new cases make clear that the plaintiffs’ bar continues to view financial dominance claims as a growing area of opportunity, and employers need to pay attention.” MORE >>
Source: Thompson Hine (ERISA Litigation & Compliance)
General Benefits
2 items“In this episode of Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation — Preparing for 2027, Jim Earle and Jeff Banish, attorneys in Troutman Pepper Locke’s Employee Benefits + Executive Compensation practice, break down Trump accounts, a new type of individual retirement account established under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act designed to build long-term wealth for children. Jim and Jeff walk through who qualifies as an eligible beneficiary, how accounts are established, key rules governing the growth period, including contribution limits and permitted investments, and the federally funded $1,000 pilot program contribution for children born between 2025 and 2028.” MORE >>
Source: Troutman Pepper Locke
“AnMed, which consists of the 461-bed AnMed Medical Center in Anderson, South Carolina and more than 60 physician practices across South Carolina and Georgia, has kept its urgent care and emergency services locations open throughout the incident. Clinicians still have the ability to access medical records and prescribe medications on a temporarily limited basis, according to an FAQ page.” MORE >>
Source: Healthcare Dive
Also of Note
- Governor Abbott Pauses Texas Data Center Interconnections And Calls For Verification and Audit; What Data Center Developers Need to Know Now — “On August 3, 2026, Governor Greg Abbott issued a directive to the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) mandating a “comprehensive verification and audit” of all data center projects currently advancing through the ERCOT interconnection process.” (Foley & Lardner)
- New DOL Opinion Letters Offer Employer Guidance on Compensable Travel Time — “Find Your Next Job !” (National Law Review)
- AI in Healthcare: From Innovation to Liability — “Foley partner Aaron Tantleff is speaking in the upcoming Data Privacy for Health Summitt on the panel “AI in Healthcare: From Innovation to Liability.” (Foley & Lardner)
- Is Your AI Strategy Putting Your Trade Secrets at Risk? — “Under both federal and state trade secret laws, information qualifies as a trade secret only if it derives economic value from not being generally known and the owner takes reasonable measures to maintain its secrecy.” (National Law Review)
- ASEA Launches Mike Preston Education and Advancement Program — “The American Society of Enrolled Actuaries (ASEA) is proud to launch the Mike Preston Education and Advancement Program, a new initiative designed to support aspiring Enrolled Actuaries and strengthen the future of the retirement plan profession.” (American Retirement Association)
- Reducing Federal Burden for Head Start Programs — “The Department of Health and Human Services proposes to revise Head Start Program Performance Standards to reduce federal burden, defer to state policies, and increase local control and parental decision-making.” (Federal Register)
- Ontario, Canada’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board Closes the Second Injury and Enhancement Fund — “The WSIB has amended its operational policy to provide that SIEF is closed retroactive to June 16, 2026.” (Littler)