Best of the Week news roundup: December 13

HR teams face no shortage of challenges, but healthcare is likely the problem they can never seem to solve. From rising benefit costs to an increasingly uncertain regulatory landscape, HR teams have their work cut out for them.

For a third year in a row, health benefit costs jumped past the decade-long average of 3% per year, with 2025 predicted to see a 5.8% increase in benefit costs per employee, according to consulting firm Mercer. Unsurprisingly, 53% of employers plan to alter their plans, including raising deductibles, which would mean higher out-of-pocket costs for employees. In the midst of a never-ending loop of higher costs and worse benefits, now more than ever, HR teams need to break away from the status quo and rethink their approach to healthcare — but where do they even start?