HUB International

For years, Department of Labor investigations could stretch on with no defined end. Field Assistance Bulletin 2026-01 changes that: routine investigations now carry an 18-month limit, complex cases 30 months. The DOL is also directing enforcement staff to focus on genuine conflicts and misappropriation rather than second-guessing reasonable fiduciary judgment calls.

This is a meaningful shift for plan sponsors. It doesn't reduce your compliance obligations, but it does clarify what well-documented, advisor-guided fiduciary decision-making is protected from. As Bradford Campbell, former Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employee Benefits, shared in a recent HUB International webinar, the current administration is actively working to reform enforcement to target bad actors. Are your clients asking about what this means for their plans?

The DOL's new fiduciary safe harbor proposal started as an executive order about alternative assets. What emerged is a six-factor prudent process framework that could protect plan sponsors on virtually any investment decision.

Bradford Campbell, speaking at a recent HUB International webinar, noted the proposal's overarching goal is to reduce regulatory burden and litigation risk for fiduciaries who follow a documented, advisor-guided process. The practical takeaway: now is a strong time to review your investment policy statement and confirm your fiduciary processes are clearly documented. Forward-thinking plan sponsors are getting ahead of this one.

What changes are you making to your fiduciary processes this year?

Today, we're sharing leadership news that reflects what makes HUB the exceptional company it is: a commitment to promoting from within when we can, scaling for growth and staying true to our culture.

Effective January 1, 2027, Andrew Forchelli becomes Executive Vice President enterprise-wide, Carol Mills takes on the role of Chief Sales Officer enterprise-wide, Billy Hobson is named President of HUB Southern California and Tim Geddes becomes President of HUB Coastal in Canada.

Each of them built their careers at HUB, and it’s a reminder that our best growth strategy has always been brokers led by brokers.

Join us in congratulating this next generation of HUB leadership.

The distance between intention and ex*****on of a climate risk management plan is wider than you'd expect.

Brian Schnese, Vice President, Organizational Resilience Practice Leader at HUB, puts it: "Most leaders have a false sense of confidence in their planning capability."

Knowing the right steps is what makes moving fast possible. Swipe to see what Brian says is the non-negotiable sequence for hurricane preparedness.

Read the full newsletter and subscribe, so you never miss an issue here: https://ow.ly/eg9v50ZJsoH

$181 billion. That is the five-year savings opportunity sitting inside the biosimilar patent cliff, and most plans have not captured it yet.

At HUB International's recent Breaking the Cost Cycle webinar, Nelly Rose walked through why 2025 through 2034 is a limited window: as biosimilar versions of major specialty drugs reach the market, plans that build a proactive substitution strategy now stand to capture outsized savings before the window narrows.

Specialty drugs already make up about 50% of pharmacy spend from just 2% of prescriptions, so the upside here is significant.

Is your plan positioned to capture this window? Check the comments for the webianr replay to learn more.

The commercial insurance market isn't moving as one at midyear 2026. Property continues to soften while casualty holds firm under structural pressure from social inflation. The organizations getting ahead of this split are treating each line differently, not applying a single strategy across the board.

See how the data breaks down or download the report here: https://ow.ly/efy850ZMEvK

"It's the same drug, the same clinical outcome, 55% less."

That's how Raquel McLellan, National Director of Clinical Informatics at HUB International, summed up the case for site-of-care redirection during our recent Breaking the Cost Cycle webinar.

It is a reminder that some of the largest savings available to self-funded plans do not require a strategy overhaul. They require asking where care happens.

Want to see how site-of-care redirection could apply to your plan? Check for the webianr replay in the comments.