The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) announced that the U.S. consumer price index (CPI) increased 8.3% year over year in August 2022, remaining uncomfortably rapid for the month. The CPI didn’t ease as much as expected by economists, putting continued inflation-related financial pressure on consumers.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have recently proposed a permanent rule to allow employers to remotely review the Employment Eligibility Verification form (Form I-9) identity and employment authorization documents when hiring, reverifying or rehiring employees.

The latest Gallup and West Health poll found that 38% of American adults—an estimated 98 million—are forced to choose between health care and other basic needs. Rising health care prices are driving people to delay or skip medical care, drive less, skip meals and borrow money.

Efforts to improve health outcomes have traditionally focused on expanding access to the health care system. Recently, there has been an increased focus on improving health outcomes by taking a broader approach due to the challenges of affordability and access in the health care system. This more holistic approach to health and well-being includes examining and addressing the social factors, such as income, access to food and neighborhood location, that may well be linked to an individual’s health and well-being.

In the wake of the Great Reshuffle—the mass movement of workers to jobs that prioritize their needs—and macro trends like the tight labor market, attraction and retention are top of mind for employers. In fact, according to Zywave’s 2022 Attraction and Retention Benchmarking Overview, over 75% of employers consider attraction and retention to be among the top-five business challenges for their organizations.

On Aug. 12, 2022, a federal district court blocked the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) from removing “instruction in fertility awareness-based methods, including the lactation amenorrhea method” from its list of recommended preventive health services.

You’ve probably noticed that your health care costs have risen steadily over the past few years. Of course, this trend can significantly impact your budget. Although it’s difficult to control all the factors contributing to these rising costs, stretching your health care dollars is easier than you think.

On Aug. 26, 2022, a federal appeals court blocked the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from enforcing certain Section 1557 nondiscrimination rules under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) against some faith-based providers. The court upheld a permanent injunction prohibiting HHS from requiring the providers to perform or provide insurance coverage for gender transition procedures or abortions.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recently released its July Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary. The month’s reported number of job openings rose to 11.2 million in July, compared with 11 million in June. Openings in July were well above the estimate and still outnumbered unemployed workers by about 5.5 million.

Drugmakers are introducing new medicines at record-high prices this year, according to new analysis from Reuters. The median annual price of 13 new drugs the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved to treat chronic conditions this year is $257,000. In addition, eight of those newly launched drugs are priced at more than $200,000.

On Aug. 5, 2022, the Department of Transportation (DOT) published an advance notice of proposed rule-making (ANPRM) on workplace drug and alcohol testing requirements. Specifically, the DOT is requesting public comments on how its regulations for conducting such testing within the transportation industry could be amended to allow electronic signatures on required documents, permit the use of electronic forms and authorize digital data storage.

On Aug. 19, 2022, the Departments of Labor (DOL), Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Treasury (Departments) jointly released a final rule implementing the ban on surprise medical billing under the No Surprises Act (NSA), which was enacted as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA).

Due to the increased usage of telehealth following the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Health and Human Services (HHS) jointly issued guidance on how various federal laws require telehealth to be accessible to people with disabilities and limited English proficiency.

A common misstep in attracting or recruiting talent is setting narrow restrictions on who to interview or where talent is sourced. Often, highly talented job candidates are overlooked due to inexperience. Employers have an opportunity to expand their recruiting reach by pursuing entry-level candidates at universities, colleges and trade schools, but it comes down to hiring for skills or the right fit—rather than experience—and offering training and career development on the job.

On Aug. 12, 2022, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Inflation Reduction Act. President Joe Biden is expected to sign it into law shortly. While this bill is primarily aimed at fighting inflation and reducing carbon emissions, it also contains a number of reforms that will impact health coverage.

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) health care subsidies are set to expire at the end of 2022. According to a recent analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation, the expiration of ARPA subsidies may result in large health care premium increases for many individuals who purchase their own health coverage on the Affordable Care Act health insurance Marketplaces. The analysis found that without ARPA subsidies, premiums for enrollees would be 53% higher in most states.

On July 26, 2022, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas struck down part of an interim final rule related to the federal independent dispute resolution (IDR) process under the No Surprises Act (NSA), which was enacted as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA).

The Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the U.S. consumer price index (CPI) rose 8.5% year over year in July 2022, a slightly slower pace from last month’s record 9.1% reading. The latest CPI number indicates that inflation pressures are somewhat easing, but it remains near record-high levels since the early 1980s.

Social belonging is a fundamental human need—one that naturally extends to the workplace. According to the Center for Talent Innovation, when people feel like they belong at work, they are more productive, motivated and engaged, thus making them 3.5 times more likely to contribute to their fullest potential.

On Aug. 11, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new COVID-19 community guidance that ends or eases several key recommendations, including social distancing and quarantine. This change shows how much has changed since the pandemic began more than two years ago. The agency stated that nearly the entire U.S. population has some COVID-19 immunity through vaccination, previous infection or both.