House Paid Leave Plan Sets Up Complex Design, Role for Insurers

The insurance industry could end up managing federally funded paid leave benefits worth billions annually under the budget reconciliation proposal moving through the U.S. House—a complex program and a departure from the Social Security-style entitlement envisioned in Democrats’ prior paid family and medical leave proposals.

The design of a nationwide paid leave program and the choice of which federal agency manages it are among the differences being negotiated by the House, Senate, and White House as Democrats push to finalize their $3.5 trillion budget plan.

Paid leave’s price tag, which presently ranges from $225 billion under President Joe Biden’s proposal ...