The Alight Blog

We’re entering one of the most consequential periods for the retiree health benefits market in more than a decade. The decisions employers make in the next few months will determine whether they stay ahead of the curve — or get caught in a wave of volatility driven by CMS’s preliminary 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D payment guidance. This is a structural shift. And it will reshape the economics of group retiree medical plans as we know them.

Navigating workplace policies can often be daunting, particularly when it comes to understanding employee benefits like a personal leave of absence. Let’s explore what a personal leave of absence is, how it differs from other types of leaves and how employers can manage these requests effectively. A personal leave of absence is a temporary, approved period away from work that an employee can take for personal reasons.

Alight’s 2024 Mindset Study found that just 44% of employees report positive overall wellbeing, with nearly half considering leaving their jobs - and for many, better benefits and work-life balance could be a decisive factor in staying. But today’s average employer frequently offers over 20 benefits options. As Jill Westhoff, VP of Wellbeing Strategy and Solutions at Alight, described, this is a “benefits sprawl” of offerings.

Earlier in 2025, Alight published a blog post and led a webinar about different payroll systems and how they can affect retirement plans, especially when it comes to the Roth catch-up rule. Since then, our discussions with clients have brought up another complicated topic—how this same rule affects retirement plans when several employers, all part of a controlled group, participate in one defined contribution (DC) plan.

Trump Accounts became a reality when H.R. 1, also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” was signed by President Trump on July 4, 2025. Since the legislation allows companies to contribute to these accounts, plan sponsors are raising important questions. Here, we address some of the most common inquiries. What is a Trump Account? A Trump Account is a starter retirement savings account created specifically for children.

Join us on June 30, at 11:00 a.m. ET for a webinar discussing the recent and potential impacts of the U.S. Government policies and decisions, and their effects on retirement plans for sponsors. Register now. The impacts are coming simultaneously from Congress, the White House, and the Supreme Court – and with the current—very dynamic—environment in Washington, it seems more can be expected.

The intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and employee wellness is reshaping how organizations approach benefits and wellbeing strategies. In a recent members-only webinar hosted by Health Action Council, industry experts Karen Frost and Jill Westhoff shared innovative insights on AI’s evolving role in personalized wellness and benefits. They revealed how AI-driven personalization is the key to improving employee engagement and health outcomes.

Plan sponsors face significant challenges when securing health care coverage for their early retirees. A viable alternative to group coverage is the Individual & Family Market (IFM). From 2014 through 2025, the IFM created ever increasing advantages. The outlook for the 2026 marketplace is still unknown, but there is potential for significant change.

The disparity between implementation urgency and the broader reality may be fueled by the desire to get it right. Smart human resource leaders understand that the AI tech itself isn’t the end goal — better outcomes are. And AI is only one tool that can be used to help people — your employees, their families and those on your team who extend the support. So how do you keep the focus where it belongs as you move forward to implement or expand AI in HR?

A volatile stock market led to high trading activity among retirement plan investors in April, according to the Alight Solutions 401(k) IndexTM. One-third of the days had above-normal1 trading and 0.024% of balances were traded, the highest since October 2020. Early in the month, as stocks fell, investors moved from equities to fixed income. As the market rebounded, they bought back into equities. April observations: •    On average, 0.024% of 401(k) balances were traded daily.