Roundup of selected state health developments, second-quarter 2026
The second quarter of 2026 was very active among the states. Virginia stole the spotlight by passing two major paid leave laws: paid family and medical leave (PFML) and paid sick and safe leave (PSSL). Major pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) laws were passed in several states, including Tennessee where the law was immediately challenged in court. A few states — Alabama, Georgia, and Texas — addressed artificial intelligence (AI) use in benefits. Insurance mandates centered on menopausal coverage, vaccines, and other key topics. California and New Jersey passed Medicaid-funding laws that are expected to directly impact employers. Georgia and Louisiana became the latest states to enact portable benefit accounts for independent contractors.
This 23-page PDF summarizes these and other state health-related developments in the second quarter of 2026.
Related resources
Mercer Law & Policy resources
- States eye Medicaid taxes that could affect employers (July 30, 2026)
- Virginia passes paid sick and safe leave mandate (with slide deck) (July 14, 2026)
- Paid family and medical leave — snapshots across the US (slide deck) (June 26, 2026)
- Virginia hits ‘back of the net’ on PFML; who’s next? (June 24, 2026)
- Virginia enacts paid family and medical leave mandate (with slide deck) (June 17, 2026)
- Massachusetts sets 2027 individual-mandate coverage dollar limits (May 28, 2026)
- Roundup of selected state health developments, first-quarter 2026 (May 1, 2026)
- State legislatures target PBM ownership (March 26, 2026)
- Roundup of selected state health developments, fourth-quarter 2025 (February 19, 2026)
- State paid family and medical leave contributions and benefits (February 6, 2026)
- IRS clarifies taxation of state and DC PFML contributions, benefits (January 13, 2026)
- Some states require group health plan sponsor reporting (December 3, 2025)
- San Francisco contractor-lessee health plan standards, pay rates updated (September 5, 2025)
- Roundup: State accrued paid leave mandates (July 23, 2025)
- PSYPACT gets an A (for access, among other things) (May 29, 2025)
- Independent contractors “got a brand new (benefits) bag” (April 24, 2025)
- Beyond state lines: A primer on insurance law extraterritoriality (March 26, 2025)
- Supreme Court upholds Arkansas law regulating PBMs (December 10, 2020)
- Final Rules Ease Restrictions on Health Reimbursement Arrangements (June 14, 2019)
- IRS Outlines How Individual-Coverage HRAs Can Meet ACA Employer Mandate (October 29, 2019)