The source, an article titled “Health Care Cost Spotlight: Aging Populations,” examines the significant impact of an aging American workforce on rising employer health care costs. It explains that this demographic shift is driven by factors such as longer life expectancy, advanced medical treatments, and declining birth rates, which collectively increase the proportion of older adults. The document details how the aging workforce, now numbering around 11 million for those 65 and older, contributes to higher costs primarily through increased rates of chronic conditions, greater use of expensive technological advancements, and rising prescription drug expenses. Finally, the article outlines several cost mitigation strategies for employers, including revisiting plan design, improving health care literacy for older adults, and implementing targeted wellness and preventative care programs.
The source discusses recent guidance issued by the Departments of Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services regarding how employers can offer fertility benefits as a HIPAA excepted benefit under existing regulations, as prompted by a February 2025 Executive Order aimed at expanding access to In Vitro Fertilization. These Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) clarify the conditions under which fertility coverage can be offered within three categories of excepted benefits: independent, noncoordinated benefits; excepted benefits Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs); and Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs). The source explains that certain fertility benefits, such as those provided under a specified disease policy, can qualify as an independent, noncoordinated excepted benefit if specific requirements are met, though future rulemaking is planned to allow for self-funded options. Furthermore, employers can utilize an excepted benefit HRA to reimburse out-of-pocket fertility costs up to a specified limit, and EAPs can offer non-medical coaching and navigator services related to fertility. The guidance underscores that excepted benefits are generally exempt from many Affordable Care Act market reform requirements.
