Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) joined the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to announce CHOICE Arrangements at an event in Indiana. SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler and CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz unveiled the rebranded program and new resources to help employers understand the cost savings and how to get started.

CHOICE Arrangements, formerly known as Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements (ICHRAs), are a proven tool that enable employers to offer health benefits at a fraction of the cost of traditional group insurance. CHOICE Arrangements allow businesses to set a predictable monthly budget for health benefits.

 
Download the CHOICE Arrangements SBA Event Flyer HERE for additional details.

Visit www.cms.gov/choicearrangements to learn more.

SBA Press Release: https://legacy.sba.gov/article/2026/09/03/sba-recognizes-innovative-choice-arrangements-major-win-small-businesses

Washington DC, August 12, 2026 -- The HRA Council, a non-partisan organization dedicated to improving and expanding health coverage options, today released Volume 5 of its annual report, “Growth Trends for ICHRA & QSEHRA,” the most authoritative analysis of the adoption and impact of Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) across the United States. 

The full press release can be found HERE.

Group health insurance might be going the way of the pension. Just like companies swapped guaranteed pensions for 401(k)s and handed employees the responsibility of managing their own retirement, a growing number of employers are now handing workers cash instead of a company-picked health plan, Bloomberg reports.

Read the full story here: https://www.entrepreneur.com/business-news/health-insurance-costs-hit-a-15-year-high-companies-are-changing-how-they-cover-employees

Amid instability in the Affordable Care Act marketplaces, proponents of ICHRA have suggested that these models could help support risk pools. A new survey from the HRA Council adds to the body of evidence on the matter. 

Read the full story here: https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payers/study-examines-how-ichra-adoption-could-help-stabilize-aca-risk-pools

Cynthia Cox, KFF senior vice president and ACA program director, joins ‘Squawk Box’ to discuss the state of group health insurance, what’s behind the increase in healthcare costs, and more.

Watch the video here: https://www.cnbc.com/video/2026/08/13/glp-1-drugs-put-upward-pressure-on-health-insurance-premiums-for-everybody-says-kffas-cynthia-cox.html

Health insurance has always come with the job for most Americans. You get hired, your employer picks a plan, and it covers a big chunk of the bill.

That model is cracking. More companies are leaving group insurance behind and instead giving workers money to buy their own plans. These deals are called health reimbursement arrangements, or HRAs.

Read the full story here: https://www.briefs.co/news/companies-abandon-group-coverage-as-health-costs-climb/

The fastest-growing segment of individual coverage health reimbursement arrangement (ICHRA) adoption in 2026 is not the small employer the product was originally associated with. It is the applicable large employer - companies with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees - and their adoption rate more than doubled year-over-year.

Read the full story here: https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/us/news/benefits/more-large-employers-are-turning-to-ichra-as-group-costs-climb-585997.aspx

The HRA Council believes that at least 20,000 U.S. employers were using formal arrangements in January to provide cash that the employees could use to buy their own individual or family health coverage, up from about 13,000 in January 2025.

The employers were probably providing coverage through individual coverage health reimbursement arrangements or qualified small employer health reimbursement arrangements for about 500,000 employees and dependents, according to results from a survey of 17 HRA Council member organizations.

Read the full story here: 
https://www.benefitspro.com/2026/08/13/employers-are-offering-cash-for-coverage-plans-to-at-least-500k/

Bloomberg reports that steep increases in employer health insurance costs are accelerating interest in HRAs as an alternative to traditional group coverage. Citing new HRA Council research, the article notes that more than 20,000 employers adopted HRAs in 2026—a 53% increase from the previous year—as businesses look for more predictable costs while giving employees greater choice in purchasing individual health coverage. 


Read the full story here: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-12/us-employers-abandon-group-health-insurance-as-price-hikes-bite

As US employers brace for the largest price hikes on employee health plans in 15 years, a growing number are opting out of group insurance altogether.

Instead of providing medical benefits directly, more than 20,000 companies entered Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRA) in 2026. That’s an increase of 53% from last year, according to a new report by advocacy group the HRA Council.

Read the full story here: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/employee-benefits/us-employers-abandon-group-health-insurance-as-price-hikes-bite