On Feb. 22, Amazon closed its $3.9 billion deal to acquire One Medical, a network of boutique primary care clinics. This deal gives Amazon access to One Medical’s 815,000 members and 214 medical offices in 26 markets.

American workplaces have changed drastically over the past three years. The COVID-19 pandemic propelled remote work into the spotlight and created new working norms. In fact, many employees now work remotely or could if they wanted.

The annual Gallup poll found that a record number of Americans postponed medical care last year. In the survey, 38% of respondents said they or a family member postponed care in 2022, compared to 26% in 2021. The 2022 percentage is the highest figure since Gallup began tracking Americans’ postponed medical care in 2001.

A U.S. District Court recently overruled a lawsuit by pharmaceutical industry members to stop state governments from importing prescription medications from Canada. This ruling may encourage more states to consider importing medications from Canada as a strategy to lower the cost of prescription drugs for Americans.

HR professionals have likely already heard about “quiet quitting,” where employees put no more effort into their jobs than necessary, and “quiet firing,” where employers or managers slowly pull back employee duties instead of outright firing them. Now, there’s another phrase gaining traction in workplaces: “quiet hiring.”

Temporary-to-permanent hiring, also known as temp-to-hire or temp-to-perm hiring, can be a successful talent acquisition strategy for employers, especially when they’re experiencing labor difficulties. It allows employers to hire workers on a temporary basis without committing to permanent employment, thus reducing the risk of poor hiring decisions.

The Biden-Harris administration recently announced that a record-breaking 16.3 million people selected an Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace health plan during the 2023 open enrollment period. Among the 16.3 million enrollees, 3.6 million were new to the ACA marketplace.

A recent report by the National Council of Compensation Insurance (NCCI) found that physician services, specifically physical medicine, are key drivers of increasing workers’ compensation costs.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the consumer price index (CPI) rose 6.4% year over year in January, slightly down from 6.5 % in December. While the latest number represents a slight slowdown, the CPI was above predictions of 6.2%, signaling ongoing financial struggles for consumers.

In response to President Joe Biden’s executive order on lowering prescription drug costs for Americans, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary chose three new models for testing to further build on the new prescription drug law.

On Feb. 13, 2023, the OSHA received the authority by memorandum to issue certification in support of applications for U nonimmigrant status and T nonimmigrant status visas. OSHA’s new authority becomes effective March 30, 2023.

There’s growing anxiety that the U.S. economy is heading into a recession. While a recession impacts organizations of all sizes, small businesses often have limited resources and face a unique set of challenges. As a result, small businesses often must make difficult financial decisions to avoid issues such as insolvency or bankruptcy when a recession hits.

Just as HR professionals quickly adapted to changes at the height of the pandemic, they must now adapt and respond to today’s evolving expectations of organizations and employees alike. As such, savvy HR leaders and professionals will approach 2023 with human-centric strategies that holistically support and benefit workers.

A recent study from researchers at Harvard University and the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) suggests that consolidated health systems cost patients more money, despite providing slightly better care than private practices.

There’s growing anxiety that the U.S. economy is heading into a recession. Recent headlines have not eased those concerns, especially as some of the country’s largest technology companies announce layoffs as well as hiring slowdowns and freezes.

CVS Health Corp. (CVS) announced plans to spend $10.6 billion to buy Oak Street Health (Oak Street), which specializes in clinics treating Medicare Advantage patients. The company would pay $39 per share in cash for each share of Oak Street in a deal expected to close this year.

The labor market was a roller coaster in 2022 and will undoubtedly continue to evolve this year. It remains to be seen how the employment market will level out. Still, it’s a safe bet that employers will be challenged as they compete for top talent. Labor metrics indicate that even though the market has slightly improved from last year, it’s still a tight labor market as numbers remain historically high.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) found in its January jobs report that the United States added an astonishing 517,000 nonfarm jobs in January, indicating that the labor market is not cooling down. January’s added jobs were above December’s gain of 260,000 and the Dow Jones estimate of 187,000 jobs to be added this month. *

On Tuesday, Feb. 7, President Joe Biden delivered the 2023 State of the Union (SOTU) address. The SOTU address is an annual speech the president delivers near the beginning of each year, outlining how the country is doing and identifying future initiatives the current administration wants to pursue.

On Jan. 30, 2023, the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor and Treasury announced a proposed rule expanding access to birth control coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The proposed rule would eliminate the moral exemption, which was put in place in 2018, that permits employers to opt out of providing contraceptive services due to their moral convictions.