On July 3, 2026, the Trump administration released its 2026 Regulatory Plan and Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions (Agenda), identifying its significant regulatory priorities and planned activities for the year ahead. Federal agencies with new regulations under development or review are included in the Agenda, including the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA).
EBSA’s regulatory plan mainly focuses on retirement plan compliance, including fiduciary responsibilities for selecting investments. However, EBSA’s plan also includes priorities impacting welfare benefit plans, including the following items to watch for:
- A proposed rule regarding default electronic disclosures, focusing on making it easier and less costly for employers and other plan fiduciaries to produce and distribute group health plan disclosures (update: EBSA issued this proposed rule on July 23, 2026);
- A proposed rule under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act to clarify parity obligations for health plans and health insurance issuers and reduce their compliance burden;
- A proposed rule to provide additional guidance and flexibility for individual coverage health reimbursement arrangements (or ICHRAs); and
- A final rule requiring pharmacy benefit managers to provide compensation disclosures to fiduciaries of self-insured group health plans.
In addition, EBSA is expected to finalize a proposed rule to create a new category of limited excepted benefits that employers can use to offer fertility benefits.
While the Agenda outlines future regulatory plans, it does not impact employers’ current compliance obligations. Until formally changed through final rulemaking or other regulatory action, all existing rules and compliance requirements remain in place.
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