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 Packaging Corporation of America Thrift Plan for Hourly Employees v. Langdon, decided on 2 February 2026, the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit considered an attempted beneficiary change after divorce. The participant’s fax expressed his wish to remove his former spouse, but he had not followed the plan’s specified telephone or online process. The court found that the participant had not satisfied the substantial compliance test