Mobility no longer follows a simple assignment model The 2026 ECA Mobility Hub and a subsequent analysis by Blick Rothenberg, both published in September 2026, highlighted how cross-border remote work, short-term moves and frequent business travel have changed the operating model for global mobility. Employers can no longer rely on a small population of formally assigned expatriates. People cross borders for overlapping professional and personal reasons, while immigration, tax,

On 21 September 2026, the US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published preliminary laboratory payment data for 2027 and estimated that aligning Medicare rates more closely with private payer prices could save taxpayers approximately $1 billion a year. This is a proposal with a comment period, rather than an enacted schedule. Its significance for employer benefits lies in the relationship between public tariffs, commercial contracts and access

In September 2026, reporting on Marsh’s survey of 1,800 US employers indicated that average health-benefit cost per employee is expected to rise by 8.2% in 2027, the largest annual increase since 2003. The forecast already assumes that employers will make plan changes to reduce spending. Without those measures, the increase could reach about 11%. Fifty-nine percent of surveyed employers plan new cost-saving actions for 2027, including changes to deductibles

In September 2026, Insurance Business reported findings from The Phia Group’s 2026 broker survey showing that the rapid move toward self-funded health plans is outpacing many US employers’ fiduciary processes. The survey covered 124 benefits brokers and advisers. Seventy-six percent said their book of business had shifted toward self-funding during the previous 12 months, but only 12% were very confident that clients had adequate fiduciary processes. The gap matters

In March 2026, Vitality, a member of Discovery Limited of South Africa, announced that its US acquisition of Ramp Health would combine an AI-enabled health platform with onsite clinical, coaching and workplace-safety services for employers. The transaction brings together two forms of intervention that are often purchased separately. Vitality contributes behavioural science, incentives, data analytics and personalised health-risk insights. Ramp Health adds clinicians, coaches and safety professionals who can

In September 2026, the New Jersey Legislature’s published text of Senate Bill 1029 placed human medical accountability at the centre of a proposed framework for health claims and automated utilisation management. The bill would require every claim submitted to a payer to be reviewed by at least one physician or medical director employed by, or contracted with, the payer. It would also require annual public reporting on approvals, denials,

In September 2026, The Wall Street Journal reported that Vitruvian Partners was leading a 600 million dollar investment in Angle Health at a 2.7 billion dollar valuation. The transaction is expected to include 200 million dollars of new equity and a 400 million dollar secondary component providing liquidity to existing shareholders. Other participants named in the report include Town Hall Ventures, Blumberg Capital, Portage Ventures, PruVen Capital and Y

In September 2026, Reuters reported that CVS Health’s Aetna in the USA would introduce a single medical prior-authorisation process for cancer treatment, replacing separate approvals for components such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, imaging and some immunotherapies. The change began on 1 September for Medicaid members in eight US states and is scheduled to reach Aetna’s private and Medicare Advantage plans during the first half of 2027. Aetna says that providers

In September 2026, WTW published an analysis by Julie Nye arguing that employee benefits captives can help close coverage gaps created by war and terrorism exclusions. The subject is becoming more pressing for multinational employers. Group life, accident, disability and medical arrangements are normally built through local insured contracts, each shaped by local law, market practice and carrier appetite. War and terrorism provisions can therefore differ materially between countries,

MAXIS Global Benefits Network (MAXIS GBN) has announced an exciting new initiative in partnership with Maven Clinic, the world’s largest virtual clinic for women’s and family health. On 1 October 2024, MAXIS GBN launched a comprehensive educational toolkit designed to help multinational companies provide essential support to employees experiencing menopause symptoms. The new service, available to MAXIS GBN’s multinational clients, aims to create a menopause-friendly work environment by providing

Zurich Global Employee Benefits Solutions (ZGEBS) has taken a bold step forward in its digital transformation journey, unveiling a suite of enhanced digital tools designed to streamline the way businesses manage global employee benefits. With new interactive dashboards, a dynamic online collaboration platform, and automated data transfer solutions, ZGEBS is setting a new standard for efficiency, transparency, and customer satisfaction. Innovation at the Core of Employee Benefits At the

In a strategic move to enhance its Business Development (BD) efforts across key global regions, MAXIS Global Benefits Network (MAXIS GBN) proudly announces the appointments of Aaron Brown and Larry Howley as the new Regional Directors for the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) and Americas regions, respectively. This announcement was made from London on 6 February 2024, marking a significant step in ensuring MAXIS GBN’s commitment to delivering

In a strategic move that reshapes the landscape of employee benefits and pension administration, Aptia has officially announced its launch. Formed by investment from Bain Capital Insurance, Aptia emerges as a formidable entity, boasting an impressive clientele of 1,100 global clients, thereby extending its services to support over 7 million individuals. A New Era in Benefits Administration? The firm is the result of a strategic acquisition of Mercer’s U.S.

In a landmark move, IBM has redefined its retirement strategy, signaling a potential trend for corporate America. Our analysis reveals IBM’s pivot from traditional pension accruals to a novel approach, blending cash balance benefits with a pay increase and pay credit system. This shift, executed amid a climate of peak pension fund health, showcases IBM’s innovative use of surplus assets for future benefits. The new scheme phases out the

In February this year, we launched our discussion paper “2045: the future of work – the changing face of employee benefits” looking at how employee benefits (EB) may change over the next 25 years, based on the trends we were seeing in the industry and the world of work. Just a few months on, the changes that we suggested might take decades are already happening because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The rate of change happening in the global EB industry, such as the delivery of digital benefits solutions and virtual healthcare provision, has accelerated beyond anything that could have been predicted at the start of the year.

Taking a holistic view in managing their global employee benefit programs is the chosen way forward for an increasing number of multinationals that want a better overview and cost control of these programs. Many companies find that outsourcing the day-to-day handling and reporting of the insured benefits to local experts coordinated by a central team with one of the global consulting / brokerage firms is the preferred approach.

You’ll no doubt be all too aware of just how important employee benefits (EB) are to any business when attracting and retaining talent. Along with salary and pension, insured benefits like life, health and disability insurance can be the difference between keeping an employee engaged and losing them to a competitor. It can also be the deciding factor for a candidate when choosing a company to work for.

Companies offer all sorts of benefits and extras to attract the most favored workers, from health care and stock options to free food. But all those perks come at a price: your freedom. There’s a reason labor historians call these perks “welfare capitalism,” a term that originated to describe company towns and their subsidized housing, free classes and recreational activities. Like government welfare, offering any benefits that people come to rely on is also a convenient vehicle to mold their behavior.

The Indian employee benefits landscape has undergone rapid and dramatic transformation over the past two decades, hastened by economic growth, amendments to and increases in statutory benefits, new benefits paradigms introduced by Multinational Corporations (MNCs), and legislative and judiciary action. Employee Benefits stakeholders, in order to keep up with the times, must continue to evolve their benefits offerings to ensure compliance as well as competitiveness.

It is important for German companies to position themselves as attractive employer brands, especially when competing for young talent in the job market. In today’s tight job market, factors that once promised reliable success in attracting new employees – remuneration, the number of leave days, pensions, company cars – are no longer the only things younger generations are looking for. Instead, non-monetary issues such as work-life balance, working atmosphere, and identification are of prime concern. These are the issues that companies should be projecting in their branding and benefits strategies.

With large international companies managing and financing their group-wide risks centrally, there is a pressing need for a central risk management tool. Captive concepts, which have been around for many years, answer this need and have become very popular in risk management.

In today’s landscape, employee benefits need to become the hot topic of conversation. There are many factors driving this since the demographics surrounding today’s workforce are constantly changing. With evolving employee demands and expectations, and new ways of working (think gig economy), employers need to play the employee benefits card to entice potential and current talent to stay put.

U.S. insurance carrier Allstate in August 2018 acquired identity theft services company InfoArmor for $525 million. Allstate’s stated intent is to grow its employee benefits business. According to Tom Wilson, Chairman, President and CEO of Allstate, in 2017 “there were over 16 million victims of identity fraud [in the U.S.], which resulted in over $16 billion of losses.” InfoArmor is a private company with headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona. Its

In terms of land mass Brazil is the largest country in Latin America and the 5th largest in the world behind Russia, Canada, China, and the USA. Despite its vast territory, Brazil’s population is concentrated in the major cities of each state, mostly on the Southern coast. Being the only Portuguese- speaking country in the region, Brazil is also different in many aspects including cultural, and economic challenges, and the way of doing business in the marketplace. These are the reasons why operating in Brazil brings inherent and unique challenges to the HR team.

The move towards compulsory employer pensions provision (which began in 2012) is nearing its end, while taxation changes, legislation targeting higher earners and new ways of saving are all making the reward space an exciting place to be.

Middle East countries are making fast-paced regulatory reforms to the health insurance industry for half a decade, and healthcare sectors and insurance industries have seen a surge in mergers and acquisitions activity.

The Canadian Bar Association and the American Bar Association together with the International Pension and Employee Benefits Lawyers Association (IPEBLA) announce a joint conference, to be held in Boston, USA, June 10-12, 2018. This two-day session will deal in-depth with legal issues concerning pensions and benefits in the context of a changing global environment. It will provide educational and networking possibilities for lawyers from all countries, with attendees encouraged