Sailing camp creates unique opportunities for children with autism. A new sailing camp on Cass Lake is filling a gap for families of children with autism, offering a rare opportunity for kids to learn sailing skills in a supportive environment.

Spectrum Sailing, which has expanded to 12 cities across the country, has partnered with the Community Sailing School on Cass Lake to provide a three-day camp experience specifically designed for children with autism.

"This year, we're expanding to a number of new cities. We have 12 across the country and Detroit is one of those new cities we're adding to our camp," said Scott Herman, the founder of Spectrum Sailing.

Herman, a sailor himself, created the program seven years ago after discovering there were no sailing camps available for his son with autism in their hometown of Charleston, South Carolina.

"Spread throughout the country, and clubs called me and asked if we could bring it on the road," Herman said.

Hear more from Scott Herman in the video player below: Web extra: Hear from founder of summer sailing camp for kids with autism

For 13-year-old Vincent Larkins, Wednesday marked his first time on a sailboat.

"I learned that it's actually really easy to control a sail when you get the hang of it even though there's lots of parts and stuff," Vincent said.

The camp hosted 20 metro Detroit kids who learned parts of the boat and sailed every day during the three-day program.

"You're able to use the wind to your advantage, and it's like a team effort," Vincent said.

Eric Ellison, executive director of the Community Sailing School, expressed enthusiasm about the new partnership.

"They're gonna be a partner with us every year or as much as they possibly can be," Ellison said. "And to watch them sail autonomously, they're doing it with the coaches on board but doing the sailing by themselves."

Parents like Cristle Aydlott appreciate the rare opportunity the camp provides.

"It's amazing to see him out there, the interest he had for the boats and everything else," Aydlott said. "It's a very hard thing to do unless it's through school."

Herman takes pride in the impact of the program on participants.

"Every camper leaves our camp feeling like they've accomplished something," Herman said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

A Detroit homeowner is expressing concern after surveillance video captured a young child stealing a lawn chair from her porch, apparently with adult assistance from someone in a getaway car.

Kierra Jackson, who lives in the area of Pennington and Curtis on Detroit's west side, was shocked when she reviewed her home surveillance footage Tuesday, showing a child taking her chair in broad daylight while someone waited in a car.

"I'm really just thinking like, he's a kid. He has no clue or dealings with what's going on," Jackson said.

WATCH: Surveillance video shows child run away with chair Surveillance video shows child run off with chair

What disturbs Jackson most is that an adult appears to have facilitated the theft.

"Your parent pulled up to the house, held the door open for you to get the chair and get back in so nobody would catch you. It's literally like, it's embarrassing," Jackson said.

As a mother of a 4-year-old boy herself, Jackson is more concerned about the example being set, than the loss of the inexpensive chair.

"And I'm not upset about it because it's just a chair. Like you can literally get a chair from anywhere, but the fact of the matter is that it's still our property and just imagine if we were like one of these crazy neighbors and came out and acted a fool on a child," Jackson said.

Extended interview: Mother talks about having chair stolen off porch by child Extended interview: Mother talks about having chair stolen off porch by kid

Neighbors expressed surprise at the incident, neighbors that love to enjoy time outside on their own lawn chairs and porches. "That is crazy!" said James Grace, who lives in the area.

Its wrong," he added.

Jackson has decided not to file a police report, but hopes the incident serves as a learning opportunity for children in the neighborhood. For now, she says she and her son will sit directly on their porch rather than replacing the stolen chair.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Newly released video offers a fuller picture of the alleged road rage incident involving U.S. Rep. Max Miller and an Ohio doctor.

Prosecutors and police say highway surveillance footage shows Dr. Feras Hamdan veering into Millers lane. But Hamdans attorneys argue the video shows the opposite.

Miller, who is Jewish, alleged in June that Hamdan threatened to kill him and tried to run him off the road.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Man charged after allegedly trying to run a congressman off Ohio interstate

A newly released cellphone video recorded by Hamdan himself shows him yelling at the congressman while using homophobic and antisemitic slurs.

This is the congressman. That piece of s*** f**** congressman that's against Palestine, Hamdan says while driving in the lane next to Miller.

He continues, This racist, Jewish, he can't even look at me. He knows I'm recording him.

The footage is part of a trove of documents released after Cleveland.com filed a public records request. The release includes the 911 call, police interview with Miller, police reports, search warrants, and dozens of videos including Tesla security footage of Hamdan entering the vehicle prior to the incident.

In the 911 report, the dispatcher noted hearing honking and commotion and recalled Miller saying Hamdan was making threats toward his family and calling him a dirty Jew.

Miller later gave a statement to police about the incident.

Hey, I'm trying to ignore him. Then all of a sudden, he goes this with his vehicle a little bit, and it jars me, and it does. I'm not gonna lie, I got a little scared," Miller said. "He put his cell phone towards the window, and was a Palestinian flag. And I said, OK, well now I'm figuring this out pretty quick. So windows are down, and he's just screaming at me at the top of his lungs, saying that he wants to kill me, and he knows who I am, and he knows where I live.

FROM THE ARCHIVES | Scripps News Investigates: A surge of political violence in America

Hamdan has been indicted on one count of ethnic intimidation, one count of tampering with evidence, one count of aggravated menacing and one count of menacing.

But Hamdans attorney paints a different picture, telling Scripps News that the video simply shows Hamdan recognizing the congressman and having a passionate disagreement over policy.

Attorney Issa Elkhatib told Scripps News that Hamdan wishes he hadnt been so harsh, but isnt sorry for opposing Millers views. He also dismissed the allegations, claiming Miller has proven to be a liar, who is weaponizing the system for political points.

Leonore Leo Margets is making history in the world of poker.

This week, she became the first woman in 30 years to reach the final table at the World Series of Poker Main Event in Las Vegas.

Its so unreal, it is a dream, Margets told PokerGO sideline reporter Jeff Platt.

She added, "How lucky I am to live this!

The Spanish poker pro was ultimately eliminated Tuesday, finishing in seventh place. She will still take home $1.5 million in prize money.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Poker player who lied about having cancer won't refund donations

The last woman to reach the final table at the Main Event was Barbara Enright, who placed fifth in 1995.

The 2025 tournament, the third-largest WSOP Main Event in history, began with a field of 9,735 players.

As of Wednesday, four players remained in contention: Kenny Hallaert of Belgium, and Americans Braxton Dunaway, John Wasnock and Michael Mizrachi.

The winner will earn $10 million.

In todays Health Alert, measles cases are still being reported, even though new case numbers have slowed in recent weeks. More than 1,300 cases have been reported nationwide so far this year, including 18 right here in Michigan.

The latest numbers from the CDC show that measles activity is still happening. As of mid-July, there have been 29 outbreaks and 1,309 confirmed cases across 40 U.S. jurisdictions. About 88% of those cases are linked to outbreaks.

Most people infected - 92% - were either unvaccinated or unsure of their vaccine status. Four percent had received one vaccine dose, and another 4% had both MMR doses.

So, who is getting measles the most? That would be kids aged 5 to 19, making up the biggest group at 37%. Followed by adults aged 20 and older at 34%, and children under 5 at 29%.

Hospitalizations are highest in kids under 5, with about 1 in 5 ending up in the hospital. And sadly, a total of three deaths have been reported this year.

Now, here in Michigan, there have been six cases in kids under age 5, four in school-aged kids, and eight in adults - that totals 18 cases. Seventeen of them were unvaccinated or had unknown status, and one had received at least two MMR doses.

Yes, its rare to get measles if youve been vaccinated. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are about 97% effective, so most vaccinated people are protected. But no vaccine is 100%. And during outbreaks, when there is a lot of virus circulating, infections can happen.

Also, for some groups like people who are pregnant or have weakened immune systems, they might still be at risk, even if theyre vaccinated.

Now, if youre not sure about your vaccine history, start by checking your records first. There is a blood test, called a titer test, that can check your immunity. But its not usually needed unless your doctor recommends it. It requires a blood draw, takes time, and can be costly. If you were born before 1957, youre generally considered immune. But if youre still unsure, its safe to get another dose.

With summer travel, now is a good time to talk to your doctor and make sure youre protected. Measles spreads fast, and the MMR vaccine is still our best defense.

Dozens of Native American radio stations across the country vital to tribal communities will be at risk of going off the air if Congress cuts more than $1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, according to industry leaders.

The U.S. Senate is set to vote this week on whether to approve the Department of Government Efficiency's plan to rescind previously approved public broadcasting funding for 2026 and 2027. Fear is growing that most of the 59 tribal radio stations that receive the funding will go dark, depriving isolated populations of news, local events and critical weather alerts. The House already approved the cuts last month.

"For Indian Country in general, 80% of the communities are rural, and their only access to national news, native story sharing, community news, whatever it is, is through PBS stations or public radio," said Francene Blythe-Lewis, CEO of the Lincoln, Nebraska-based Native American video programming producer Vision Maker Media. "If the claw back happens, I would say a good 90% of those stations will cease to exist."

RELATED STORY | PBS president tells Scripps News legislation would cause some rural stations to close

Native American communities rely on local radio stations

Local radio plays an outsized role in the lives of many who live in Indigenous communities, where cable television and broadband internet access are spotty, at best, and nonexistent for many. That leaves over-the-air TV stations usually a PBS station and more often local radio to provide local news, community event details and music by Indigenous artists. Sometimes the news is delivered in Indigenous languages.

"It means we're not going to hear our language on the radio," Blythe-Lewis said.

Flagstaff, Arizona-based Native Public Media, which supports the network of 59 radio stations and three television stations serving tribal nations across the country, said about three dozen of those radio stations that rely heavily on Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding will be the first to go dark if funding is cut for the coming fiscal year that starts Oct. 1.

Loris Taylor, CEO of Native Public Media, said in an op-ed that the tribal stations reach more than 1.5 million people and "may be the only source of locally relevant news, emergency alerts, public safety announcements, language preservation, health information and election coverage."

Republicans face pressure to pass the cuts

GOP senators are under pressure from President Donald Trump, who promised last week on his Truth Social platform that any Republican who votes against the cuts "will not have my support or Endorsement."

Many Republicans say the public media system is politically biased and an unnecessary expense. Sen. Eric Schmitt, a Republican from Missouri, recently defended the cuts as necessary to hack away at the nearly $37 trillion national debt, adding, "It is critical in restoring trust in government."

But some Republicans have pushed back, such as Maine Sen. Susan Collins, who questioned the proposed cuts last month during a Senate committee hearing. She said that while some of the federal money is assigned to National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting System, most of it goes to locally owned public radio and television stations.

Tribal stations provide lifesaving alerts

Jaclyn Sallee is president and CEO of Koahnic Broadcast Corporation and KNBA, its radio station in Anchorage, Alaska. Koahnic produces National Native News, a five-minute daily newscast that features headline news from across Indian Country, and Native America Calling, a daily hourlong call-in program, for about 190 stations across the nation. It also produces Indigefi, a music program in Indigenous languages.

KNBA is on Native Public Media's list of those stations that would be most affected by the federal funding cuts a concern Sallee confirmed, as 40% of the station's funding comes from CPB.

"What we're really worried about are the rural stations in Alaska where they may be the only station in the community," she said. "The people that live there depend on the station for vital weather alerts, emergency alerts; it's the local hub of the community where people share information. So that is very troublesome because people's lives are at risk without this service."

It's currently fishing season in Alaska, she said, "which means getting out in the ocean or in rivers and going long distances to subsist, and so they really rely on weather reports."

Having the news reported in a tribe's language isn't just about preserving that language, she said. Sallee spent summers in Nome with her mother's family. Her grandmother, she said, spoke only Inupiaq.

Loss of small stations could hurt the larger system

New Mexico PBS's signal reaches all but one of the more than 20 tribes and pueblos in the state. It also has signed an agreement with the Navajo Nation, which has the largest reservation of any tribe in the U.S., that allows the tribe to carry the PBS signal and programming on the Navajo Nation Television network, New Mexico PBS general manger Franz Joachim said.

"It's no question in my mind that, you know, immediately some stations will pretty much go dark," Joachim said.

When those first stations fail, it won't take long for others to follow, Joachim said. And as they do, it will mean fewer and fewer stations left to pay membership dues that also help fund all of the stations.

"So now the whole system starts to fracture," he said. "So for me, the federal funding is really about the system as a whole that keeps us in place."

That funding also helps produce national content that groups like Vision Maker Media produce. Those include Native American documentaries shown on PBS like "Mankiller," the story of Wilma Mankiller who became the first woman elected principal chief of the Cherokee Nation.

Blythe-Lewis compared the potential loss of tribal stations to the country's past attempts to erase Native American cultures, such as through federal boarding schools where Indigenous children were sent for generations to assimilate them into white society and where systemic abuse of Indigenous children was carried out.

"We're erased from public media and therefore invisible and therefore become unknown and unheard of," she said.

Despite a strong desire to own homes, millions of Americans are still renting. So, what initiatives is Washington implementing to help make homeownership a reality?

One significant barrier to homebuying remains high interest rates. President Trump has intensified his criticism of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell in recent weeks.

"Jerome Powell has been very bad for our country," Trump recently stated. "We should have the lowest interest rate on earth."

The Federal Reserve last cut rates in December. In contrast, Europe has seen eight interest rate cuts over the past year.

RELATED STORY | Finding starter homes: More on the market, but expensive as ever

With another Fed meeting approaching at the month's end, Powell attributes the ongoing pause to uncertainty surrounding Trump's tariff policy. While Trump hasn't directly attempted to fire Powell, he has mentioned that Powell's term ends in May 2024 and has hinted at naming a successor who may align more closely with his administration's views.

Credit scores also play a role in homebuying policies. Earlier this month, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac introduced a new policy considering potential buyers' rent payment history, which could assist those looking to enter the housing market.

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner acknowledged the ongoing housing crunch. In a recent interview with the Scripps News Group, he expressed his commitment to reducing regulations to promote the construction of affordable homes.

"Taking down regulations is of utmost importance," he said.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Trump rips Fed Chair Powell during White House meeting with Bahrains crown prince

However, not all legislative measures have eased housing costs. The National Association of Homebuilders has warned that tariffs could inflate the expense of home construction. Still, Republicans in Congress are optimistic that the recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill will provide some relief.

While the new legislation does not offer down payment assistance, it does make permanent a deduction on mortgage interest and reinstates a deduction for certain private homeowners insurance policies. Homeowners will also benefit from a heightened deduction for state and local property taxes.

Bill Conners, a first-time homebuyer from heavily taxed Southern California, expressed optimism about the changes. "This bill has actually made it a lot easier for people to afford a house," he said.

This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

A martian meteorite the largest single piece of rock from Mars known to be on Earth just sold at auction for $5.3 million.

The meteorite is believed to have been ejected from Mars by an asteroid strike on that planet. It then survived a plunge through Earth's much thicker atmosphere and landed in the Sahara Desert in Niger.

After it was recovered and authenticated with the official name of Northwest Africa 16788, it went up for auction at Sotheby's, where it sold on July 16, 2025 to an anonymous buyer for $4.3 million or roughly $5.3 million after fees.

The meteorite shows the characteristic red-brown coloring of the Martian surface, which is due to the oxidized iron content of its dirt and rocks.

A portion of the 54-pound rock is made of the glass maskelynite, believed to have been melted into place by the heat and energy of the initial impact that launched it off Mars and into space.

It also still shows the signs of entry friction from Earth's atmosphere and does not show much sign of surface weathering, suggesting it landed on Earth relatively recently.

RELATED STORY | A comet from interstellar space is moving through the Solar System, NASA says

Martian meteorites are rare. According to the Meteoritical Society, which catalogs known meteorites, there are just 401 meteorites known to have come from Mars, dating back to 1815.

For now, NWA 16788 has easily become the most impressive physical example it's about 70% larger than the next-biggest Martian meteorite.

Budget airline Avelo announced it will close its base at Hollywood Burbank Airport later this year.

The airline said it will begin drawing down operations on Aug. 12, when it reduces its presence at the airport to a single aircraft. Full suspension of operations at Burbank is scheduled for Dec. 2.

Avelo currently offers flights from the airport to destinations in California, Oregon, Montana and Washington.

"This was not an easy decision," said Avelo CEO Andrew Levy. "Our companys deepest operational roots are in BUR, having launched our first flight there over four years ago during the COVID pandemic."

The airline faced criticism earlier this year after it signed an agreement to provide charter services for the U.S. Department of Homeland Securitys Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Despite that backlash over the deportation flights, Levy said there was no "one singular reason" for ending service out of Burbank.

"We believe the continuation of service from BUR in the current operating environment will not deliver adequate financial returns in a highly competitive backdrop," Levy said. "We intend to redeploy these BUR aircraft to business areas where we see more efficient longer-term growth prospects, while also building depth and breadth to our East Coast operation."

Dan Rivera, a paranormal investigator and one of the handlers of the infamous haunted Annabelle doll, died suddenly while on tour with the doll in Pennsylvania.

The New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR), of which Rivera was a longtime member, confirmed his passing on social media.

According to local media outlets in Connecticut, Rivera was 54 years old and was found dead in his hotel room by his colleagues. Pennsylvania State Police said his death is not suspicious, but an autopsy report is pending.

Rivera was a member of the team taking the Annabelle doll on tour, which had made a recent stop in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, according to NESPR's Facebook posts.

"Dan's passion for the paranormal was rooted in a genuine desire to educate, help and connect with others," the NESPR said on Facebook. "We understand that Dan's work inspired fascination and curiosity for many, but above all, he was a father, devoted husband, and loyal friend, someone who meant the world to those closest to him."

NESPR said Rivera was a U.S. Army veteran and was guided by his faith in God. The organization also said Rivera had worked closely with Lorraine Warren, one-half of the famous paranormal investigator couple.

Annabelle is a Raggedy Ann doll that its original owner in the 1970s claimed could move by itself and had frightening behavior. Lorraine and her husband, Ed Warren, moved the doll to their now-closed museum in Connecticut after they said it was demonically possessed.

The doll became a regular character in horror movies based on the Warrens' lives, such as "The Conjuring" and "Annabelle."

Oakland Mall is temporarily closed after the mall experienced flooding on Wednesday due to a possible burst pipe.

Watch Tiarra Braddock's video report: Oakland Mall temporarily closed after flooding due to a possible burst pipe

The mall posted a statement to social media saying that they are experiencing flooding across several main concourses and portions of the parking lot.

The mall is currently closed down for safety and security reasons as they assess the situation.

Oakland Mall says they are currently working with local fire and police departments and other experts.

"We appreciate the community's patience and understanding as we work to resolve the issue. We will provide further updates as more information becomes available," the statement read in part.

Over a dozen attorneys general from Democratic-led states are suing the Federal Emergency Management Agency for cutting bipartisan-approved funding for natural disaster response.

According to the lawsuit filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, a coalition of 20 states accuses President Donald Trump of illegally terminating FEMA's pre-disaster mitigation program called Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, or BRIC. The program's grants help cover up to 75% of a project's costs, but can rise to 90% for smaller rural communities.

"Over the past four years, FEMA has selected nearly 2,000 projects to receive roughly $4.5 billion in BRIC funding," the lawsuit states. "From Washington to North Carolina and Arizona to Maine, and everywhere in between, every state in the nation is relying on this program. All that changed when Cameron Hamilton, who the Trump administration unlawfully installed to act as FEMA's Administrator, suddenly and illegally shut down the program."

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | FEMA pulls its strategic plan, signaling upcoming changes to policy and procedure

According to court documents, the attorneys general claim the termination of BRIC is directly contrary to Congress' approval of funding to prioritize natural disaster mitigation efforts.

"By unilaterally shutting down FEMA's flagship pre-disaster mitigation program, Defendants have acted unlawfully and violated core separation of powers principles," the lawsuit states.

This comes after President Trump said last month that his administration will begin phasing out FEMA after this year's hurricane season, and instead shift disaster management to the state level. He said the federal government will still continue to give funding to states for disaster management; however, it will come directly from the president's office and will be "less money."

Plans to eliminate FEMA have raised concerns among federal and state emergency managers, who say most states don't have the budget or personnel to handle catastrophic disasters on their own.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING | Trump plans to phase out FEMA, shift disaster management to states

This administrations decision to slash billions of dollars that protect our communities from floods, wildfires, and other disasters puts millions of New Yorkers at risk, said New York Attorney General Letitia James. New Yorkers depend on quality roads, floodwalls, and other vital infrastructure to keep them safe when disaster strikes. This administration has no authority to cut this program that has helped save countless lives, and I will continue to fight to ensure New York gets the support we need to prepare for dangerous natural disasters.

Along with New York, plaintiffs in the lawsuit include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.

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The husband of social media influencer Emilie Kiser could face a felony child abuse charge in the death of their 3-year-old son Trigg, who reportedly drowned in their backyard pool in Arizona.

In a post on X, the Chandler Police Department said it had finished its investigation into the boy's death and had recommended a class 4 felony charge of child abuse against Brady Kiser.

Now, the case will be reviewed by the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, police said.

The tragic incident happened on May 16 at the couple's home in the southern part of Chandler, which is located about 25 miles outside of Phoenix.

The young boy was unconscious when first responders got to the scene. He later died at the hospital, according to police.

RELATED STORY | What to know about water safety before heading to the beach or pool this summer

According to multiple outlets citing official documents, Emilie was out with friends at the time of the incident. Brady told police he was distracted by their newborn while Trigg was playing outside. After losing sight of Trigg, he went to check on him and found him in the pool.

Emilie filed a lawsuit against Maricopa County to keep the records related to her son's death private, and a judge temporarily blocked their release last month, multiple outlets reported.

Emilie has amassed millions of followers on her Instagram and TikTok accounts by sharing content related to being a mom and a wife. Her content regularly included her husband and children. She has not posted since a few days before the tragedy and has cut off the comments to most of her old posts.

Security experts are raising concerns about the growing strategic relationship between Russia and China.

Despite Russias invasion of Ukraine, China has maintained close ties with Moscow. Former U.S. Ambassador to China Nick Burns spoke about the alliance during the Aspen Security Forum. He noted that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin have met numerous times.

Theyre not neutral in the war, Burns said. Theyve protected Russia at the [U.N.] Security Council. Theyve supplied about 90% of the microelectronics to the Russian defense industrial base. They want Russia to win.

RELATED STORY | Trump threatens 100% 'secondary' tariffs on Russia if no deal reached on Ukraine within 50 days

Burns also reflected on his experience in Beijing when the war began.

Although he sees the partnership as one of convenience Russia needing support in its war against Ukraine and China seeking to shift the global power structure away from the United States Burns said he does not believe the alliance will last.

Still, he warned that while the alliance remains intact, it presents an existential crisis for Europe.

The United States, meanwhile, is reinforcing support for its NATO allies. This week, President Donald Trump met with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and announced a new deal under which the U.S. will sell weapons to European partners, increasing the flow of arms to Ukraine.

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The Trump administration deported five men in the U.S. from different countries to the African nation of Eswatini on Tuesday.

Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin posted to X that the home countries of the five "barbaric" migrants had "refused to take them back."

McLaughlin posted pictures of the five men, but not their names. They were from Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Cuba and Yemen.

She claimed in her post that four of the men were convicted of murder or homicide and the fifth man was convicted of rape.

RELATED STORY | Judge says the Trump administration violated a court order on deportations to third countries

This isn't the first time the Trump administration has used a third country to deport migrants to.

In May, a judge ruled that the administration violated a court order on deportations when it sent eight migrants to South Sudan in Africa but refused to reveal where they would end up.

RELATED STORY | Homeland Security is removing protections that kept some Afghans from deportation

Mercer released its Survey on Health and Benefit Strategies for 2026 on Tuesday, revealing that many companies will reduce their employees' health care benefits to address rapidly growing costs.

The survey found that 51% of large employers plan to shift more health care costs to workers in 2026, up from 45% last year. These changes could include raising deductibles or out-of-pocket maximums, according to Mercer.

Employers expect their health care costs to rise by 6% in 2026, which will result in them passing those expenditures onto their staff.

While short-term cost containment actions might be needed to address current budget realities, we also see some employers using longer-term strategies, such as offering narrow network plans that emphasize high-quality, high-value care. These strategies may improve health outcomes or make health care more affordable for employees, said Ed Lehman, Mercers U.S. health and benefits leader.

RELATED STORY | The cost of employer health benefits continues to rise

According to the American Medical Association, Americans spent $14,570 per person on health care costs in 2023. The AHA estimates that 31.2% of health care costs were tied to hospital care, while 16.5% was spent on personal health care.

According to KFF, even when adjusted for inflation, health care costs have risen considerably over the years.

Using 2023 dollars, the average person spent about $11,310 on health care in 2013 and $7,908 in 2000.

A growing concern regarding rising health care costs is the increased use of expensive weight loss medications. A growing number of patients are utilizing glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) drugs. While these medications have long been covered for treating diabetes, they typically haven't been covered for weight-loss purposes.

These drugs can cost over $1,000 per monthly dose.

While the trend over the past couple of years has been to add coverage for GLP-1s approved for weight loss, some employers facing large cost increases in 2026 may feel this coverage is out of reach, said Alysha Fluno, Mercers pharmacy innovation leader. Employers are weighing the immediate costs of covering these drugs against the potential for generating savings down the road once their workforces health improves.

RELATED STORY | Cost of health benefits expected to rise over 5% for 3rd year in a row, report says

Every day, Krystal Clark struggles to breathe. The 41-year-old incarcerated woman believes mold at Michigan’s only women’s prison is poisoning her body, growing in her lungs, eating through her ears, and slowly destroying her health while prison officials deny her proper care.