Each year, certain employers are required to submit workplace injury and illness data to OSHA through the Injury Tracking Application (ITA). These reports help OSHA monitor safety trends, identify high-risk workplaces, and strengthen worker protection efforts.
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ICHRA: What Is It?
An Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement differs from a traditional group health plan by shifting how coverage is provided. Instead of sponsoring a group policy, the employer offers a defined contribution that employees use to purchase their own individual health insurance. Working with a plan administrator, employees can choose from multiple insurers and plan options, and their share of the premium is typically paid pre-tax through payroll. For some employers, this approach can be more cost-effective and predictable than maintaining a group plan.
Property fraud, sometimes referred to as deed fraud or recording fraud, is a growing concern for homeowners and property owners. It occurs when someone files forged or fraudulent documents with a county recorder in an attempt to transfer ownership, place a lien, or otherwise gain financial benefit from a property they do not own. Properties that are paid off or have no mortgage are often targeted because there is less oversight from a lender.
Once a fraudulent document is recorded, the responsibility to correct it typically falls on the property owner. This often requires petitioning the court, at the owner’s expense, to have the fraudulent recording removed. Until the issue is resolved, selling the property or obtaining a mortgage or refinancing can be difficult or even impossible.
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For most education leaders, employer-sponsored healthcare has long been treated as a fixed part of doing business.
You select a carrier.
You negotiate a renewal.
You absorb the increase.
You explain it to employees.
You repeat the process the following year.
Overview of the New Requirement
Illinois House Bill 1697 introduces a new annual fee tied to prescription drug benefits, and many employers will begin seeing this charge in 2026. Most Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBS of IL) health plans use BCBS of IL’s subsidiary, Prime Therapeutics, as its pharmacy benefit manager (PBM), and this update applies directly to those plans. Under the Prescription Drug Affordability Act, PBMs are required to pay the State of Illinois fifteen dollars per covered individual who is enrolled in pharmacy benefits and lives in Illinois. This includes both employees and dependents. BCBS of IL & Prime Therapeutics will pay the fee to the state fund, and BCBS of IL will pass the cost through to employer groups that fall under the law.
Winter is here, and with it comes one of the season’s biggest headaches for homeowners: ice dams. These ridges of ice form when warm air inside your home melts the snow on your roof, only for that melted snow to refreeze at the edges. Once that happens, the water behind the ice has nowhere to go. Eventually, it works its way under shingles and into your home, causing stains, leaks, warped materials, and costly frustration.
It’s a common winter issue in the Midwest, but the question we hear most often is simple: Does homeowners insurance cover this? In many cases, yes.
Every year, OSHA publishes a list of the most frequently cited safety standards. It gives us a clear look at where employers are falling short and where workers are getting hurt. According to the latest data released by Safety and Health Magazine, Fall Protection, General Requirements, is once again the most cited standard for 2025 with 5,914 violations.
(Source: Safety and Health Magazine)
The recent federal government shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, put millions of Americans under financial strain and uncertainty. For small businesses especially those tied to federal contracts or funding the impact was significant.
Many business owners found themselves asking:
“Does my insurance cover losses from a government shutdown?”
The short answer is usually not, but the details matter.
As construction projects grow more complex and owners demand longer warranty coverage, maintenance bonds are playing an increasingly important role in contract negotiations. Contractors who understand how these bonds work and how to manage their impact on surety capacity and cost are better positioned to protect their business and maintain strong relationships with both owners and sureties.
The IRS has announced new inflation-adjusted limits for flexible spending accounts (FSAs) beginning in 2026, giving employees more room to set aside pre-tax dollars for medical and dependent care expenses. These updates, along with a major legislative change from the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) Act, make 2026 an important year for benefit planning. For employees, these changes translate to greater flexibility and potential tax savings. For employers, they mean updated plan limits, new communication needs, and an opportunity to highlight valuable benefits.