STAT+: Public-sector purgatory, and a union-hospital fight

The newsletter opens with Aon, a major consulting and brokerage house, confirming that 2027 will be brutal for job-based health care premiums. Aon's chief actuary says employers will need better data and deeper insights to understand where costs are rising—advice the author calls ironic given Aon has historically blocked companies from accessing their own data.

The piece also highlights a STAT+ exclusive on the 'vise' crunching public-sector health plans, examining how rising costs are straining government health programs. It cites Justin Douglas, who oversaw a property tax increase in Dauphin County to help cover rising health care costs. The title references a union-hospital fight, though the excerpt provides no further details on that dispute.