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MGMA Supports Policies Advancing the Next Generation of America's Health Care Workforce
WASHINGTON, March 7 -- The Medical Group Management Association issued the following letter on March 6, 2026:
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MGMA Supports Policies Advancing the Next Generation of America's Health Care Workforce
MGMA applauds the Subcommittee on Health for convening this important hearing on strengthening the healthcare workforce and for its focus on addressing shortages in rural and underserved communities.
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To: The Honorable Vern Buchanan, Chairman, Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health, U.S. House of Representatives, 1139 Longworth House Office Building, Washington D.C. 20515
The
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WASHINGTON, March 7 -- The Medical Group Management Association issued the following letter on March 6, 2026:
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MGMA Supports Policies Advancing the Next Generation of America's Health Care Workforce
MGMA applauds the Subcommittee on Health for convening this important hearing on strengthening the healthcare workforce and for its focus on addressing shortages in rural and underserved communities.
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To: The Honorable Vern Buchanan, Chairman, Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health, U.S. House of Representatives, 1139 Longworth House Office Building, Washington D.C. 20515
TheHonorable Lloyd Doggett, Ranking Member, Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health, U.S. House of Representatives, 1139 Longworth House Office Building, Washington D.C. 20515
Re: Statement for the Record- Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health Hearing on Advancing the Next Generation of America's Health Care Workforce
Dear Chairman Buchanan and Ranking Member Doggett,
On behalf of the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), which represents medical group practices across all specialties and care settings, including over 70,000 practice leaders responsible for delivering care to more than 350,000 physicians. MGMA members are responsible for delivering care to hundreds of millions of patients annually, spanning primary care, specialty services, and rural health. They are at the forefront of improving access, efficiency, and quality of care in the U.S. healthcare system.
MGMA applauds the Subcommittee on Health for convening this important hearing on strengthening the healthcare workforce and for its focus on addressing shortages in rural and underserved communities, modernizing graduate medical education (GME), and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the healthcare workforce pipeline. Across the country, medical groups are facing challenges in recruiting and retaining physicians, advanced practice clinicians, and other essential staff. Healthcare workforce shortages undermine access to care, limit practice capacity, and strain the physicians who remain. We appreciate the opportunity to provide a statement for the record, highlighting some of our priorities and concerns regarding the healthcare workforce.
Support for GME and Rural Residency Training Expansion
As physician shortages deepen, with projections showing a shortfall of 86,000 primary care and specialty physicians by 2036/1, expanding training capacity is essential, but increasing the number of residency slots alone will not fully resolve the challenge. Many new physicians are choosing higher-paying subspecialties over primary care, often driven by significant student debt and the financial incentives of extended specialty training, making it increasingly difficult for rural and underserved communities to recruit and retain clinicians. MGMA strongly supports efforts such as the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2025 (H.R.4731/S. 2439), which expands Medicare-supported GME positions with targeted distribution to high need communities, and the Rural Residency Planning and Development Act of 2025 (H.R. 6468), which provides dedicated, sustained funding to build and expand rural residency programs, and thanks members of the Committee for sponsoring these important legislations. By supporting rural pathways in primary care and other high need specialties, including family medicine, internal medicine, preventive medicine, psychiatry, general surgery, and maternal health, these bills will help ensure that rural practices can recruit, train, and retain physicians, strengthening long-term access to care across underserved regions.
Immigration Pathways
MGMA is concerned that the President's September 19, 2025 proclamation, Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers, which implements a $100,000 H-1B application fee, will further increase healthcare workforce shortages./2 Physicians have historically been shielded from key H-1B constraints through cap exemptions and public-interest waivers because of their essential role in the nation's public health and persistent health care workforce shortages. Therefore, maintaining an exemption from the new application fee would be consistent with prior immigration and health policy precedent.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a clarification on October 20, 2025, which limits the $100,000 H 1B fee to applicants outside the United States, offering only narrow relief for J 1 physicians already in the country who transition to H 1B status through programs such as Conrad 30. Because most H 1B physicians and healthcare workers apply from abroad, the fee still applies to the majority of applicants. Rural and underserved communities, in particular, rely heavily on the H 1B pathway, including through the Conrad 30 program, which has placed more than 18,000 physicians in shortage areas over the past two decades./3
Beyond physicians, medical group practices rely on a broad range of professionals, including nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, laboratory scientists and technicians, imaging and radiology technologists, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, and other specialized clinicians.
The Department of Labor (DOL) data shows that non-physician clinicians collectively account for more H-1B certifications than physicians in healthcare. In fiscal year 2024, more than 9,300 physician applications were certified, but more than 10,000 applications came from nurses, therapists, lab and imaging technicians, behavioral health clinicians, dentists, and other specialized health workers./4 Without a categorical exemption for healthcare workers, these barriers will exacerbate staffing shortages, impede recruitment across essential clinical roles, and ultimately restrict patient access to timely, high-quality- care. MGMA appreciates members of Congress's efforts to raise these concerns with DHS and request exemptions for healthcare workers from the application fee.
Educational Financing
Along those same lines, federal student loan borrowing limit provisions within the One Big Beautiful Bill Act risk undermining the pipeline of health care professionals that medical group practices rely on. Beginning July 1, 2026, students in graduate programs would be limited to $20,500 per year with a $100,000 lifetime cap, while students in designated professional degree programs could borrow up to $50,000 annually with a $200,000 aggregate limit. To implement these changes the Department of Education (ED) is operating with a definition of "professional degree" that includes physicians but excludes other critically needed healthcare roles central to the functioning of medical group practices, such as nurses and physician assistants. These programs require postgraduate education, clinical rotations, and licensure, yet would be subject to the significantly lower borrowing caps under the graduate student definition. These limits would increase out of pocket costs for students and deter qualified applicants from entering essential clinical professions.
MGMA supports efforts on behalf of members of Congress to advance legislation to adopt a more inclusive definition of "professional degree" that incorporates other vital healthcare professions, and the bipartisan letter from lawmakers to the ED, urging the reversal of restrictions on student loans for advanced nursing degrees.
Administrative Burden
While MGMA strongly supports initiatives to grow the physician pipeline, it is equally important to address the administrative and regulatory pressures that are driving burnout in the current workforce. Reducing these burdens would help retain the physicians already in practice and slow the accelerating shortages. MGMA has long advocated for significant reforms to prior authorization processes and continues to hear from practices that these burdens are a top cause of workforce dissatisfaction and early career departure. We thank members of the subcommittee for sponsoring the bipartisan and bicameral Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act of 2025 (H.R. 3514/S.1816), which will streamline prior authorization within the Medicare Advantage program. Administrative simplification is a workforce policy, and meaningful reform will help retain clinicians and improve patient care. Rural facilities face unique challenges with prior authorization because they are more likely to be understaffed, financially strained, and to lack the administrative capacity to manage these requirements. Rural residents also experience higher rates of chronic diseases and face significant transportation barriers, which exacerbate delays and interruptions in care due to prior authorization.
Conclusion
MGMA thanks the subcommittee for its bipartisan focus on advancing the next generation of America's healthcare workforce. MGMA stands ready to work with members of the subcommittee to advance policies that expand GME capacity, modernize rural residency training infrastructure, strengthen workforce immigration pathways, protect educational financing, and reduce administrative burden. We appreciate the opportunity to submit this statement and look forward to continued collaboration. If you have any questions, please contact Hannah Grow, Associate Director of Government Affairs, at hgrow@mgma.org or 202-293-3450.
Sincerely,
/s/ Anders Gilberg
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Footnotes:
1/ Association of American Medical Colleges. (2024). The complexities of physician supply and demand: Projections from 2021 to 2036. https://www.aamc.org/media/75236/download?attachment.
2/ The White House. Restriction on entry of certain nonimmigrant workers. Published September 19, 2025. Accessed September 19, 2025. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/09/restriction-on-entry-of-certain-nonimmigrantworkers/.
3/ Abughanimeh O, Abu Ghanimeh M. H 1B Visa Program and Implications for Health Care. JAMA. 2025;334(22
4/ Zionts A, Reese P. Rural Health Providers Could Be Collateral Damage From $100K Trump Visa Fee. KFF Health News. December 9, 2025
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Original text here: https://www.mgma.com/advocacy-letters/march-6-2026-mgma-supports-policies-advancing-the-next-generation-of-americas-healthcare-workforce
[Category: Medical]
ICBA LIVE 2026 Showcase Delivers Community Bank Innovations in AI, Digital Investing, and More
WASHINGTON, March 7 [Category: Financial Services] -- The Independent Community Bankers of America posted the following news release:
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ICBA LIVE 2026 Showcase Delivers Community Bank Innovations in AI, Digital Investing, and More
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San Diego, Calif. (March 6, 2026) -The Independent Community Bankers of America(r) (ICBA) hosted its ThinkTECH Showcase during ICBA's national convention, ICBA LIVE. This year's event, held in San Diego, Calif., unveiled new community bank-specific technologies addressing artificial intelligence (AI), digital investing, and more.
"Innovation speaks not to
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WASHINGTON, March 7 [Category: Financial Services] -- The Independent Community Bankers of America posted the following news release:
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ICBA LIVE 2026 Showcase Delivers Community Bank Innovations in AI, Digital Investing, and More
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San Diego, Calif. (March 6, 2026) -The Independent Community Bankers of America(r) (ICBA) hosted its ThinkTECH Showcase during ICBA's national convention, ICBA LIVE. This year's event, held in San Diego, Calif., unveiled new community bank-specific technologies addressing artificial intelligence (AI), digital investing, and more.
"Innovation speaks not toa singular momentary shift but to a continuous drive toward the future," ICBA President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey said. "By investing in programs that address what's next in community banking and drawing together community bank and bank technology leaders to create thoughtful solutions, we chart the course ahead and ensure community banks can meet and exceed emerging customer demands."
Specifically, the ThinkTECH Showcase highlighted fintech solutions representing a wide range of offerings, including small business client acquisition, compliance automation, digital investment opportunities, commercial account transitions, SBA lending efficiencies, and real-time fraud monitoring. Presenting companies from the latest cohort included:
* Crux Analytics opens in a new tab - Uses agentic business development workflows to support small business client acquisition, engagement, and retention.
* Flatirons AI opens in a new tab - Leverages generative artificial intelligence to support bank operations to improve the bank's overall compliance posture.
* InvestiFi opens in a new tab - Provides digital investment services directly from the account holder's checking account, bypassing third-party payment rails.
* Onsetto opens in a new tab - Delivers a white label, AI powered platform that simplifies commercial account transitions to migrate accounts payments, receivables, and payroll systems.
* Parlay opens in a new tab - Offers a loan intelligence system designed to eliminate manual-intensive processes associated with small business and SBA lending intake.
* Socratix AI opens in a new tab - Builds secure, enterprise-grade AI agents that help fraud and risk teams investigate alerts in real-time and deliver structured insights.
ICBA LIVE also honored several cohort participants, with Onsetto receiving the Banker's Choice Award, which attendees voted as the most promising solution. This award was presented onstage during the general session. In addition, during the showcase, InvestiFi was recognized with the Most Valuable Participant (MVP) Award for the most evolved offering based on program engagement and alignment with community bank business priorities, and Crux founder and CEO Jacob Bennett received the All-Heart Award, sponsored by Wipfli LLP, which honors individuals whose actions demonstrate a genuine commitment to others and whose presence leaves a meaningful, positive impact on their peers, their organizations, and our industry.
"Through ICBA Innovation programs like the ThinkTECH Accelerator, community banks gain access to cutting-edge concepts and practical solutions tailored to the needs of their customers," ICBA Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer Wayne Miller said. "More than 70 companies have participated in the accelerator, and the engagement between community bankers, industry leaders, and fintech innovators continue to inspire the next generation of community bank technology."
As ICBA LIVE 2026 concludes this week, community banks will leave with new strategies, connections, and technologies to support innovation in today's dynamic financial services landscape. ICBA continues to invest in supporting a continuous cycle of community bank innovation and proudly joins its sponsors BankTech Ventures, Fiserv MasterCard, Ncontracts and Wipfli to make this possible.
For more information on the ICBA Innovation and ThinkTECH Accelerator program, including how interested bank technology companies can apply for future innovation programming, please visit icba.org/innovation opens in a new tab.
About ICBA
The Independent Community Bankers of America(r) has one mission: to create and promote an environment where community banks flourish. We power the potential of the nation's community banks through effective advocacy, education, and innovation.
As local and trusted sources of credit, America's community banks leverage their relationship-based business model and innovative offerings to channel deposits into the neighborhoods they serve, creating jobs, fostering economic prosperity, and fueling their customers' financial goals and dreams. For more information, visit ICBA's website at icba.org.
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Original text here: https://www.icba.org/w/icba-live-2026-showcase-delivers-community-bank-innovations-in-ai-digital-investing-and-more
American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries Posts Commentary: Navigating Retirement's Most Critical Ages - Milestones Matter
ARLINGTON, Virginia, March 7 -- The American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries posted the following commentary by Security Benefit Senior Vice President Jim Kiley:
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Navigating Retirement's Most Critical Ages: Milestones Matter
A discussion of milestones for retirement saving that focuses on landmarks for financial professionals that are providing services is instructive for better helping individuals to save for a more secure retirement.
Editor's Note: Following is a discussion of milestones for retirement saving that focuses on landmarks for financial professionals that are
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ARLINGTON, Virginia, March 7 -- The American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries posted the following commentary by Security Benefit Senior Vice President Jim Kiley:
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Navigating Retirement's Most Critical Ages: Milestones Matter
A discussion of milestones for retirement saving that focuses on landmarks for financial professionals that are providing services is instructive for better helping individuals to save for a more secure retirement.
Editor's Note: Following is a discussion of milestones for retirement saving that focuses on landmarks for financial professionals that areproviding services for those in the education sector. However, the principles it discusses have broader application and those who serve other sectors could find them useful as well.
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A unique financial journey faces teachers, shaped by pension systems, 403(b)/457(b) savings, varied retirement timelines, and the realities of public-sector income. Financial professionals working with school districts have an opportunity to help employees make informed decisions as they progress through retirement's most important milestones.
Age 50+: The Power of Catch-Ups & Tax Diversification
Age 50 often marks peak earning years for educators. This milestone opens opportunities to accelerate savings using enhanced catch-up contributions for 403(b) and 457(b) plans, including higher limits for ages 60-63 that began in 2025. Starting in 2026, high earners (those with prior-year FICA wages over $150,000, as reported in Box 3 of Form W-2, if applicable) must make catch-up contributions as Roth contributions. This is also an ideal time to review Traditional versus Roth strategies and explore survivor benefits available to disabled widow(er)s.
Age 55: A Bridge for Early Retirees
Educators frequently retire earlier than private-sector workers, making the Age 55 Rule especially valuable. Individuals who separate from service in the year they turn age 55 can make penalty-free withdrawals from workplace retirement plans. This flexibility often provides a more practical income bridge to age 591/2 than committing to 72(t) substantially equal periodic payments.
Age 591/2: Increased Access and Flexibility
At this age, individuals gain full penalty-free access to retirement accounts. Many workplace plans also permit in-service, non-hardship withdrawals, making it a critical time to discuss rollovers, risk adjustments, and income planning.
Age 60: Coordinating Survivor Benefits
Widow(er)s and eligible ex-spouses can begin Social Security survivor benefits at age 60, even if they remarry later. Strategic decisions--such as taking the smaller benefit first and switching to a higher benefit later--can significantly impact lifetime income.
Age 62+: Social Security Claiming Decisions
Claiming Social Security as early as age 62 can reduce benefits by up to 30%. Educators should understand not only the long-term income impact but also how early claiming can affect survivor benefits. Since the Social Security Administration does not provide personalized advice, financial professionals play a key role in integrating claiming decisions into an overall retirement income plan.
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Age 63: Medicare Premium Awareness
Income at age 63 determines Medicare premiums at age 65. Higher-earning educators, administrators, and late-career retirees should be aware that certain income events--such as Roth conversions--can trigger IRMAA surcharges based on Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI).
Age 701/2: Tax-Smart Charitable Giving
At age 701/2, clients may make Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) directly from an IRA, reducing taxable income and potentially offsetting future required minimum distributions (RMDs). Even modest charitable gifts can help clients lower taxes while supporting causes they value.
Age 73+: Required Minimum Distributions and Retirement Timing
Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) generally begin at age 73 for individuals born between 1951 and 1959 (and at age 75 for those born in 1960 or later). However, for many employer-sponsored retirement plans, including 403(b) plans offered through school districts, distributions may be delayed until the individual actually retires, depending on the terms of the plan.
This distinction makes retirement timing an important planning consideration. Once distributions are required, clients must take required amounts before completing Roth conversions and should coordinate RMDs across accounts to avoid unnecessary taxes. Proactive planning can help simplify cash flow and manage future tax exposure.
Advisor Action Steps
* Explore penalty-free access at age 55 for early retirees.
* Coordinate survivor and retirement benefits for widowed clients at age 60.
* Begin Social Security planning discussions five to seven years before eligibility.
* Educate clients about Medicare income lookback rules beginning at age 63.
* Position QCDs as a tax-efficient charitable strategy starting at age 701/2.
* Simplify cash flow through automation and planning during RMD years.
By integrating these milestones into your client conversations, you can help educators retire with greater clarity, confidence, and financial security.
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Jim Kiley is Senior Vice President, Eastern United States, at Security Benefit.
Used by permission.
Opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASPPA or its members.
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Original text here: https://www.asppa-net.org/news/2026/3/navigating-retirements-most-critical-ages-milestones-matter/
[Category: Human Resources/Personnel]
American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries Posts Commentary: A 'Digital Clearinghouse' - What It Could Mean for the Retirement Infrastructure
ARLINGTON, Virginia, March 7 -- The American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries posted the following commentary by Ted Godbout:
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A 'Digital Clearinghouse': What it Could Mean for the Retirement Infrastructure
If there were a "neutral, digital clearinghouse," what effect would it have? A newly released whitepaper details how it could reduce retirement plan cash outs and the number of dormant accounts, all while enabling seamless interoperability across recordkeepers, custodians, and government programs.
Titled "Building Out Clearinghouse Services for the U.S. Retirement System:
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ARLINGTON, Virginia, March 7 -- The American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries posted the following commentary by Ted Godbout:
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A 'Digital Clearinghouse': What it Could Mean for the Retirement Infrastructure
If there were a "neutral, digital clearinghouse," what effect would it have? A newly released whitepaper details how it could reduce retirement plan cash outs and the number of dormant accounts, all while enabling seamless interoperability across recordkeepers, custodians, and government programs.
Titled "Building Out Clearinghouse Services for the U.S. Retirement System:A Blueprint for a Digital Infrastructure," the 53-page paper by the Retirement Clearinghouse (RCH) puts forward a comprehensive framework to modernize what the firm describes as a "fragmented retirement ecosystem."
Authored by Spencer Williams, Thomas Hawkins, and Dr. Ricki Ingalls, the paper contends that a clearinghouse for the U.S. retirement system has become a "practical necessity for a workforce defined by frequent job changes, fragmented accounts, and expanding policy initiatives."
The clearinghouse concept would be modeled after the firm's Auto Portability Network, but expanded to include additional functionality, such as a Saver's Match Network, Auto Locate Network, and Digital Rollover Network. To that end, the paper outlines what the architectural, governance, and operational foundations would be for each of these four major network services.
As these services are deployed, the clearinghouse would become the "connective tissue" of the retirement ecosystem, supporting millions of transactions annually while reinforcing fiduciary, tax, and privacy safeguards across the system, the authors explain.
The policy implications are equally significant, they note. For instance, a Savers Match Network powered by the clearinghouse would support national policy goals by making sure every earned match dollar reaches a qualified account with as few obstacles as possible, while auto portability and digital rollover capabilities would help keep accounts consolidated across the span of people's working lives.
What's more, as industry stakeholders prepare for the rollout of the Saver's Match in 2027, a "build once, use many times" infrastructure can help reduce leakage, improve equity, and strengthen long term retirement outcomes for millions of workers, the authors further suggest.
"It's an interesting pitch for Saver's Match processing," noted Kelsey Mayo, Chief Regulatory Affairs Officer with the American Retirement Association. "In short, deposit all the Saver's Matches into an IRA and then let the clearinghouse do its work to get the funds into another qualifying arrangement, presumably buying time to ensure the end account is qualified to receive the funds."
'Build Once, Use Many Times'
And as to the "build once, use many times" framework, the same infrastructure could be extended to related domains, such as Trump accounts, health savings accounts (HSAs), emergency savings plans, state auto IRA programs, and unclaimed retirement assets, the paper further observes.
In fact, clearinghouse functionality could be configured to support Trump account transfers "by acting as a centralized hub that validates eligibility, confirms current account status with participating trustees, and prevents more than one funded Trump account from being open for the same beneficiary at any time," the authors note.
They add that this would be consistent with the single account constraint reflected in the statute. Network reporting and analysis functionality could also be leveraged to automate statutory reporting back to the U.S. Treasury.
"By standing as a neutral, unbiased digital utility between plans, providers, and public programs, the clearinghouse model demonstrates that shared infrastructure can systematically resolve problems that no single institution can address on its own, converting today's patchwork of bespoke connections and paper-based processes into standardized, interoperable network services," Williams, Hawkins and Ingalls write.
That said, realizing this potential will require choices by both public and private stakeholders, the paper further remarks. For instance, industry participants will need to commit to shared standards, uniform contracts, and common service-level expectations. At the same time, public partners can accelerate adoption by supporting common rails for data and money movement across existing programs and by designing policy initiatives with clearinghouse infrastructure and connectivity in mind, rather than siloed channels.
RCH's white paper can be downloaded here (https://info.rch1.com/building-out-clearinghouse-services).
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Original text here: https://www.asppa-net.org/news/2026/3/a-digital-clearinghouse-what-it-could-mean-for-the-retirement-infrastructure/
[Category: Human Resources/Personnel]
American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries Issues Commentary: No Winter Sleep for State Auto-IRAs
ARLINGTON, Virginia, March 7 -- The American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries issued the following commentary by John Iekel:
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No Winter Sleep for State Auto-IRAs
Winter is a time in which a lot of Nature takes a breather. But not so for state auto IRAs this winter, at least if the experience of the first ones to be put in place is any indication. Growth in registrations and assets definitely was not on ice in the big three.
Employers Registered
In California, the growth in the population of employers registered with CalSavers was robust, particularly from December to January.
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ARLINGTON, Virginia, March 7 -- The American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries issued the following commentary by John Iekel:
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No Winter Sleep for State Auto-IRAs
Winter is a time in which a lot of Nature takes a breather. But not so for state auto IRAs this winter, at least if the experience of the first ones to be put in place is any indication. Growth in registrations and assets definitely was not on ice in the big three.
Employers Registered
In California, the growth in the population of employers registered with CalSavers was robust, particularly from December to January.On New Year's Eve, there were 255,793; on Jan. 31, 272,054; on Feb. 28, 277,902. The stronger growth from December to January may be related to the deadline for the last cohort of employers to register if they did not offer a plan of their own, which was recent.
The pace of growth in Illinois was much slower than that in the Golden State, but it picked up during February. There were 25,820 employers registered with Illinois Secure Choice on Dec. 31, 2025 and 26,332 two months later, an increase of 512.
And in Oregon, there were 56 more employers registered in December than there were in November; there were 33,740 by New Year's Eve. The pace was even more incremental than that of Illinois, but then again, Oregon's program was the first of the three to be operational.
Accounts
There was growth in the number of accounts from a variety of perspectives.
Payroll contributing accounts. Growth in the number of payroll contributing accounts was much more modest than the number of employers registered and the funds accumulated. But growth there was, nonetheless.
OregonSaves had 190,877 accounts into which employees were making contributions as of Dec. 31; that was 2,654 more than on Nov. 30.
The number of payroll contributing accounts in Illinois Secure Choice grew very slightly -- there were just under 1,000 more of them on the last day of February than there were on the last day of December. There were 195,935 as March began.
The pace of growth in payroll contributing accounts in CalSavers picked up as winter progressed. There were almost 10,000 more of them in January, and there were more than 15,000 more of them in February. By the end of February, there were 736,421 such accounts in California's program.
Funded accounts. Just because an account has been established doesn't necessarily mean that it's funded. This could be owing to a variety of factors; for instance, brand new accounts may not have any funds in them yet, and other participants may have used the money in their accounts to cover more immediate needs.
OregonSaves had 2,239 new funded accounts by the end of December, with a total of 148,146 of them. Illinois added even fewer; on Dec. 31, Illinois there were 167,328, and on Feb. 28, a little more than 1,000 were added and became part of the 168,375 accounts into which funds were being deposited.
The pace of growth in the number of funded accounts in California accelerated as winter wore on. The number increased by almost 6,000 in January, and a little more than twice that number were added in February. There were 617,420 by the end of the month.
Dollars and Cents
Measures of the accounts' total assets as well as others concerning individuals' assets showed growth; some was robust, and some was much more modest.
Assets. OregonSaves had more than $8 million more in its coffers on the last day of 2025 than it did on Thanksgiving. By year's end that amounted to $445,041,330.
Illinois Secure Choice had a hair below $330 million by Feb. 28, 2026. It started the winter at roughly $311.4 million, an increase of just over $18 million.
CalSavers' assets passed $1 billion a while ago, and are well on their way to doubling that. They added more than $100 million from Dec. 1 to March, and counted $1,698,424,525 in the bank by the end of February.
Average monthly contribution amounts. Employees in Illinois contributed just $8 more, on the average, to their accounts in February than they did in December. By Feb. 28, the average monthly contribution to an individual account in Illinois Secure Choice was $173.29. The increase in the average monthly contribution to a CalSavers account went up by just a little more than that, $14; the average was $214 per month in February.
The average monthly contribution to an OregonSaves account went up much more than did those in the other states. The increase in the average contribution was $30 in December and stood at $206.
Average funded account balances. The average funded account balance in OregonSaves grew by just $13 in December.
In Illinois and California, however, the average funded account balance grew by around 8 times as much. In Illinois, the average balance was 1,861.08 in December, and 1,959.39 in February, almost $100 more. Similarly, the average funded account balance in CalSavers was $2,649 in December and $2,751 in February, $102 more than two months before.
Finding out More
The statistics concerning CalSavers are available here (https://www.treasurer.ca.gov/calsavers/reports/2025/december_2025.pdf).
Statistics concerning Illinois Secure Choice is available here (https://illinoistreasurer.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Secure-Choice-Monthly-Dashboard_December-2025.pdf).
Information about OregonSaves is available here (https://www.oregon.gov/treasury/upward-oregon/pages/oregon-retirement-savings-board.aspx).
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Original text here: https://www.asppa-net.org/news/2026/3/no-winter-sleep-for-state-auto-iras/
[Category: Human Resources/Personnel]
American Securities Association Applauds Florida District Court Ruling Against SEC's Failure to Disclose Off-Channel Communication Fine Calculations
WASHINGTON, March 7 -- The American Securities Association issued the following news on March 6, 2026:
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ASA Applauds Florida District Court Ruling Against SEC's Failure to Disclose Off-Channel Communication Fine Calculations
The American Securities Association (ASA) today applauded a Middle District of Florida court ruling in favor of ASA's lawsuit challenging the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) refusal to produce documents under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) related to how the agency calculated off-channel communication administrative fines for regulated entities.
"We
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WASHINGTON, March 7 -- The American Securities Association issued the following news on March 6, 2026:
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ASA Applauds Florida District Court Ruling Against SEC's Failure to Disclose Off-Channel Communication Fine Calculations
The American Securities Association (ASA) today applauded a Middle District of Florida court ruling in favor of ASA's lawsuit challenging the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) refusal to produce documents under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) related to how the agency calculated off-channel communication administrative fines for regulated entities.
"Weare pleased that a federal court in Florida agreed with the ASA about the SEC playing fast and loose with information that should have been made available to the public," said ASA President and CEO Chris Iacovella. "The government used its vast power to disproportionately impose billions of dollars in fines on registered entities for administrative violations and then refused to disclose how those fines were calculated. This abuse of government power is an affront to the disclosure rights guaranteed to Americans by Congress, and the court's decision affirms that."
The court put it well: "accepting duplicity, gamesmanship, neglect, insouciance, or worse from an agency of the United States and denies a party forced to undergo the agency's administrative process the benefit of orderly, disciplined, accountable, and forthcoming participation by the United States. This singular leniency is, to say the least, inexplicable, unseemly, and unfair. The evasion deployed in the circumstance is, or should be, an acute embarrassment to the United States, both to the agency and to the judiciary.... Any other litigant might be embarrassed, but in litigation the government never blushes."
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The American Securities Association (ASA) represents the retail and institutional capital markets interests of regional financial services firms who provide Main Street businesses with access to capital and advise hardworking Americans how to create and preserve wealth. ASA's mission is to promote trust and confidence among investors, facilitate capital formation, and support efficient and competitively balanced capital markets. This mission advances financial independence, stimulates job creation, and increases prosperity. The ASA has a geographically diverse membership of almost one hundred members that spans the Heartland, Southwest, Southeast, Atlantic, and Pacific Northwest regions of the United States.
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Original text here: https://www.americansecurities.org/post/asa-applauds-florida-district-court-ruling-against-sec-s-failure-to-disclose-off-channel-communicati
[Category: Financial Services]
AGA Signs on to Support AAP's Vaccine Recommendations
BETHESDA, Maryland, March 7 -- The American Gastroenterological Association issued the following news on March 6, 2026:
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AGA signs on to support AAP's vaccine recommendations
We joined more than 230 organizations in support of the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommended child and adolescent immunization schedule.
AAP recommends following routine vaccination for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rotavirus, influenza, and meningococcal disease, among others. The schedule was "developed by experts with specialized knowledge and experience in infectious diseases, public health and pediatrics"
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BETHESDA, Maryland, March 7 -- The American Gastroenterological Association issued the following news on March 6, 2026:
* * *
AGA signs on to support AAP's vaccine recommendations
We joined more than 230 organizations in support of the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommended child and adolescent immunization schedule.
AAP recommends following routine vaccination for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rotavirus, influenza, and meningococcal disease, among others. The schedule was "developed by experts with specialized knowledge and experience in infectious diseases, public health and pediatrics"and "are based on the latest scientific and real-world evidence."
Additionally, the schedule's been formally endorsed by 12 medical and healthcare organizations, such as the American Medical Association (AMA), Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), and National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP).
The immunization schedule has served "a guide for pediatricians, clinicians and patients on the optimal timing for routine immunizations to protect children from preventable illnesses" for nearly a century.
Read the statement of support (https://downloads.aap.org/DOFA/Statement%20of%20Support%20AAP%202026%20Immunization%20Schedule.pdf?_gl=1*n4fl5z*_ga*MTQ5OTgzNDI2Ny4xNzY4NDExMjc0*_ga_FD9D3XZVQQ*czE3NzI4MjkzMDEkbzMkZzEkdDE3NzI4MzEwMzkkajYwJGwwJGgw*_gcl_au*MTExMTM0MDUwOC4xNzcyODI5MzAx*_ga_GMZCQS1K47*czE3NzI4MjkzMDEkbzEkZzEkdDE3NzI4MzEwMzkkajYwJGwwJGgw)
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Original text here: https://gastro.org/news/aga-signs-on-to-support-aaps-vaccine-recommendations/
[Category: Medical]
