March 16, 2026

Bright Benefits Brief • March 2026 

White House Reveals Health Care Plan

The White House rolled out a health care plan as a broad framework to help Congress craft legislation to address health care cost challenges. The plan aims to lower prescription drug prices, reduce insurance premiums and redirect federal subsidies directly to Americans. White House officials stressed that the plan focuses on reducing costs throughout the health care system, making this broader than just the Affordable Care Act (ACA). According to the White House, the following are the
health care plan’s key components:

  • Slash prescription drug prices by tying U.S. prices to those paid in comparable countries.
  • Allow more over-the-counter medicines.
  • Send federal subsidy money directly to Americans to purchase the health insurance of their choice.
  • Fund a cost-sharing reduction program intended to reduce common ACA premiums by over 10%.
  • Cut pharmacy benefit manager kickbacks that raise insurance costs.
  • Create the “plain-English insurance” standard for insurers to publish jargon-free information.
  • Require health insurance companies to publish costs of overhead versus claim payments on websites.
  • Require insurers to display claim denial rates and average wait times for routine care on their websites.
  • Require all Medicare- and Medicaid-participating providers and insurers to publicly post their prices.

The current framework offers few concrete implementation details, leaving rulemaking and legislative paths uncertain. Contact us for more information.

Upcoming ACA Reporting Deadlines

Employers subject to ACA reporting under Internal Revenue Code Sections 6055 and 6056 should prepare to comply with reporting deadlines for calendar year 2025. In general, self-insuring employers are subject to Section 6055, and applicable large employers (ALEs)—those with 50 or more full-time employees during the prior calendar year—are subject to Section 6056. There are no reporting obligations for non-ALEs without a plan or non-ALEs with fully insured plans. For the 2025 calendar year, covered employers must:

  • File returns with the IRS electronically by March 31, 2026. Employers that file at least 10 returns during the calendar year must file electronically.
  • Post a clear, conspicuous and easily accessible notice on their websites by March 2, 2026, informing individuals that they may request a copy of Forms 1095-B or 1095-C. The notice must be retained until Oct. 15, 2026, and statements must be furnished to any requesting individual by the later of Jan. 31, 2026, or 30 days after the date of the request. Alternatively, if a reporting entity chooses not to post the notice online, it may instead provide Forms 1095-B or 1095-C directly to individuals by March 2, 2026.

Generally, forms must be filed with the IRS annually, no later than March 31 of the year following the calendar year to which the return relates. Employers may receive an automatic 30-day extension to file with the IRS by completing and filing Form 8809 by the due date of the return. Additional extensions of time to file may also be available under certain hardship conditions. Contact us for more ACA reporting resources.

This post is not intended to be exhaustive nor should any discussion or opinions be construed as legal advice. Readers should contact legal counsel for legal advice. Content sourced from Zywave.