Many people only think about going to the doctor’s office when they get sick or injured. However, even the healthiest adults need routine health care. A primary care provider is your main resource for routine health care services throughout your lifetime.

Employers plan to raise salaries 4.1% in 2023, according to Willis Towers Watson’s (WTW) Salary Budget Planning Report. WTW reported that these budgeted increases will be the largest since 2008 and that nearly 2 in 3 (64%) U.S. employers have budgeted for higher employee pay raises than last year.

Taking time to be mindful of your eating process and not focusing on restricting calories could enhance your awareness of the experience, improve your relationship with food and help you lose weight. Mindful eating can be an essential practice in today’s world, where multitasking is common practice. Multitasking while eating can lead to less satisfaction with your meals, less awareness of the food, and often, overeating.

Motor vehicle deaths in the United States continue to rise, with early estimates for 2021 indicating an 18% increase since 2019 despite similar miles driven, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Specifically, the CDC recently reported that motor vehicle deaths rose by 6.8% between 2019 (36,355 fatalities) and 2020 (38,824 fatalities). This trend occurred despite an 11% decrease in vehicle miles traveled over the same period.

Twenty-two workers have already been killed due to deadly trenching and excavation hazards in 2022—representing a 68% increase from the entirety of 2021. In response, OSHA launched enhanced enforcement initiatives to protect workers from known industry hazards. Doug Parker, the assistant secretary for OSHA, stated that all 22 deaths could have been prevented if employers had complied with the agency’s safety standards.

UnitedHealthcare recently announced it will eliminate out-of-pocket health care costs for insulin and other emergency use drugs for fully insured group health plan members. Pending regulatory approval, members could access certain prescription drugs for free as early as Jan. 1, 2023.

Changing health plans is a major decision for any employer, regardless of size. Not only is health insurance a costly commitment, it also impacts recruitment capabilities, retention levels and overall employee satisfaction. The right plan can improve employee health, boost morale and increase attraction and retention rates without unduly straining an organization’s budget.

The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in Ziccarelli v. Dart that an employer can violate the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) by discouraging an employee from exercising FMLA rights without denying an FMLA leave request. The 7th Circuit’s jurisdiction covers Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.

On Thursday, July 21, Amazon reached a deal to acquire One Medical, a network of boutique primary care clinics, for $3.9 billion. This is another substantial step in the e-commerce giant’s plans to become a player in the health care industry. Through this deal, Amazon hopes to improve how people book appointments and enhance the experience of being seen by a physician.

Having outstanding benefits options is critical for attracting and retaining employees. But in order to capitalize on those options, employers need to effectively market their offerings to employees and candidates. If employees and candidates aren’t aware of or do not understand the benefits available to them, they do the employer little good.

Summer heat can be more than uncomfortable—it can be a threat to your health, especially for older adults and children. Whatever your age, don't let the summer heat get the best of you.

Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a number of employers announced that they would reimburse travel expenses for employees who must go out of state to obtain a legal abortion. There are a number of different options for employers to consider when structuring a travel benefit, with each option having its own compliance challenges.

The Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) maintains the Known Exploited Vulnerability (KEV) catalog to help organizations better manage and mitigate cybersecurity vulnerabilities. The agency encourages organizations to utilize the KEV catalog—the authoritative list of vulnerabilities that have been exploited—to keep pace with threat activity and remediate the listed vulnerabilities to reduce the likelihood of compromise by known threat actors.

On July 12, 2022, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued updated guidance on whether and when employers may test their employees for COVID-19. While the previous guidance generally allowed employers to require testing for all employees entering a workplace, the new guidance requires an individualized assessment of current circumstances.

On June 27, 2022, the Departments of Labor (DOL), Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Treasury (Departments) issued a letter directing group health plan sponsors and issuers to ensure their plans comply with the contraceptive mandate under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

In an update to its technical assistance manual, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently announced that employers must now justify mandatory COVID-19 testing for their workers. Going forward, employers must “assess whether current pandemic circumstances and individual workplace circumstances justify viral testing of employees to prevent workplace transmission of COVID-19.”

The job market is still dealing with the aftereffects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Workers are taking stock of their circumstances and considering which employment perks matter the most. Specifically, employees are increasingly more concerned about their physical and mental health, financial security and work-life balance than before the pandemic. Many employers have responded by enhancing benefits offerings to support employees.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released draft 2022 forms for reporting under Internal Revenue Code (Code) Sections 6055 and 6056. Draft instructions for these forms have not yet been released.

President Joe Biden recently signed an executive order aimed at protecting access to reproductive health care services. This order is in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization and directs federal agencies to take steps to protect abortion and reproductive health services.

The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA) generally prohibits employers from discriminating against employees or applicants based on their genetic information.