In September 2026, Assurex Global announced that Kansas City-based The Miller Group had joined its partnership of independent brokers. The Miller Group is a family-owned broker established in 1961. According to Assurex, it has expanded from construction insurance and surety into employee benefits and wider risk advisory. The firm remains independently owned and operated, while gaining access to a network of more than 100 brokers across six continents. Assurex

In September 2026, AM Best reported that its rated US property and casualty mutual composite earned a $14.8 billion underwriting gain in 2025, compared with a $7.2 billion loss in 2024. Net income doubled to $42.6 billion and policyholders’ surplus rose to $468 billion. These are 2025 financial results published on September 24, 2026. Earlier rate increases, revised discounts and higher deductibles contributed, according to AM Best. So did

A large-scale intervention in the individual health market The US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in September 2026 said it had cancelled about 315,000 Affordable Care Act policies covering roughly 760,000 people in August 2026. The agency cited unverified citizenship or immigration documentation and suspected improper enrolments. It also moved to exclude 569 brokers whose 2026 applications allegedly showed statistically implausible patterns or lacked essential applicant information. The

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 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, 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

Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger announced the signing of paid family and medical leave legislation on 11 May 2026. The official release describes a programme administered through the Virginia Employment Commission, with up to 12 weeks of paid leave for covered events. It states that benefits will begin in 2028. The announcement includes leave for serious health needs, a new child and qualifying family circumstances. It describes wage replacement of

The US departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Treasury announced a proposed rule on 10 May 2026 to create a new category of limited excepted fertility benefits. The proposal was published in the Federal Register on 13 May 2026 as document 2026-09479. The proposal concerns a pathway for employers to offer fertility benefits under a distinct regulatory category. It follows the October 2025 joint FAQs explaining existing

Executive Order 14403, issued on 30 April 2026, directs the US Treasury to establish TrumpIRA.gov by 1 January 2027. The website is intended to provide information about qualifying private-sector individual retirement accounts, with particular attention to independent contractors, self-employed people and workers without access to an employer-sponsored retirement plan. The order calls for comparison features concerning cost and quality. It refers to the federal Saver’s Match enacted through SECURE

Maine’s paid family and medical leave programme provides benefits for qualifying absences occurring on or after 1 May 2026. Official programme materials describe up to 12 weeks of leave in a benefit year, subject to eligibility and other conditions. The state’s April materials explain the interaction with other leave entitlements and the administration of applications through Aflac for the public plan. They also distinguish partial wage replacement from an

On 15 April 2026, the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas issued its opinion in Drake Plastics v IRS. It upheld the micro-captive transactions-of-interest regulation, 26 CFR 1.6011-11, but declared the listed-transaction regulation, 26 CFR 1.6011-10, unlawful and vacated it. The court stayed that vacatur until 1 May 2026. The court found the administrative record insufficient to support the listed-transaction designation under the applicable standard. Its

US life and health insurance impairments fell by half in 2024, with only five companies experiencing financial distress compared to 10 in 2023, according to AM Best research published in March 2026. The sharp decline marks a significant improvement for industry stability, though recent impairments continue to stem from troubled affiliate relationships. Three of 2024’s five impairments involved a Connecticut life insurer and its two captive reinsurance subsidiaries, all

MAXIS Global Benefits Network in March 2026 appointed Brian McCarthy as Regional Manager for the US East Zone, tasking him with leading outbound business development across the eastern United States. McCarthy brings over 20 years of industry experience from pooling network IGP (International Group Program), where he spent 14 years as Assistant Vice President of Business Development. His expertise spans global benefits, captive reinsurance, product development, and client strategy.

In the U.S., MetLife expects group benefits and retirement and income solutions to remain key drivers of growth, supported by favorable economic and demographic trends, a senior executive said in March 2026. Speaking at the Raymond James 47th Annual Institutional Investors Conference, Ramy Tadros, regional president of MetLife’s U.S. business, said the company sees strong fundamentals in the employer benefits market, including high returns on equity and a rational

KFF’s release dated 29 January 2026 reports that 32% of US adults were very worried about affording healthcare, above the other household expense categories tested. It also reports that 56% expected healthcare costs for their families to become less affordable. The January tracking poll covered 1,426 adults surveyed from 13 to 20 January, with a full-sample margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points. Its population was

On 2 December 2025, the IRS issued initial guidance on Trump Accounts, a new form of individual retirement account for eligible children. Employer contributions under a qualifying programme can receive favourable tax treatment, with a USD2,500 annual exclusion per employee. That employee-level ceiling applies in aggregate, including where contributions go to several dependants’ accounts. Keep the limits separate The employer contribution counts towards the ordinary USD5,000 annual contribution limit

In December 2023, an email from Captive International promoted a medical stop-loss captive white paper. An accessible MSL Captives paper by Phillip Giles and Steven McFarland explains such structures, but the retrieved document is undated and could not be confirmed as the exact edition announced. It provides technical background for examining retained risk, collateral and exit obligations, rather than evidence of a new release or guaranteed employer savings. Establish

Marsh McLennan (MMC) in September 2022 announced that John Q. Doyle has been named President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective January 1, 2023. Operating under several brands: Marsh (P/C); Guy Carpenter (reinsurance); Mercer (L/H, including employee benefits); and Oliver Wyman (management consulting); and with sales of nearly USD 20 billion in 2021, MMC is by far the largest insurance broker in the world. His predecessor Daniel S. Glaser

Gallagher, a global leader in insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting services, in September 2022 announced Sarah Dick has joined as its new Area Vice President and National Clients Team Leader in the Multinational Benefits & HR Consulting practice in Gallagher’s Benefits and HR Consulting Division. Dick is based in Tucson, AZ and will be responsible for leading the large case Center of Excellence (COE) business and developing the

In October 2021, the National Bureau of Economic Research discussed research on buyer inertia and health insurance costs in its monthly Digest. The study examined how reluctance to change plans can affect competition and premiums. Its counterfactual findings concern a particular research setting, rather than a promised saving for an employer programme. The practical question for benefits teams is whether their renewal process makes a considered choice possible. A

Healthcare joint venture Haven, created by Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase to address the rising cost of employee healthcare in the United States, was dissolved in April 2021 after three years of operations. The Boston-based organization informed employees that it will cease activities by the end of next month. Many of Haven’s 57 staff members are expected to transition to roles within the three founding companies, which will

U.S.-based Insured Nomads in October 2020 appointed Allen Koski as President and Chief Innovation Officer, to provide the insights necessary for the company to grow into new markets and unique client segments.. Insured Nomads is an insurtech focused on the healthcare needs of expatriates, remote workers and business travelers.

New York Life Insurance and Cigna in December 2019 reached a deal for New York Life to acquire Cigna’s group life and disability insurance business for US$6.3 billion. The acquisition is expected to close in the third quarter of 2020, subject to applicable regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. The group life and disability insurance business will operate within New York Life’s portfolio of strategic businesses and support

Aon in January 2020 announced the completion of its acquisition of SMB insurtech broker CoverWallet. Aon aims to increase its presence in the rapidly growing commercial insurance market for smaller businesses. The acquisition will allow Aon to utilise CoverWallet’s technology and data & analytics capabilities. CoverWallet joins the portfolio of Aon’s New Ventures Group, which functions as a growth-stage capability focused on delivering new sources of value to clients

Due to the coronavirus / COVID-19 outbreak, the Captive Insurance Companies Association (CICA) cancelled its 2020 International Conference. The event had been slated to take place on March 8-10, 2020 in California, USA. No new date has been announced at the time of publication.

U.S. broker Alliant in February 2020 announced the appointment of Philippe de Dreuzy to head up its global benefits practice as Senior Vice President and Global Practice Leader. He will be based near San Francisco, California. With headquarters in Newport Beach, California, Alliant Insurance Services provides property and casualty, workers’ compensation, employee benefits, underwriting, surety, and financial products and services to clients in the U.S. Over his 25-year career