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Cost Estimating NewsBrief: October 31, 2025
OPM Not Getting All Available Data on Costs under FEHB Program, Says Audit
(FedWeek) The inspector general’s office at OPM has said that the agency is not regularly receiving all the information available about claims spending in the FEHB program, which among other things reveals that the largest single share relates to cancers. The IG said that about three-fourths of FEHB carriers track spending by category and use it for internal purposes such as case management, benefit changes, assessing utilization trends, enrollee education and assessing fraud and waste risks. However, OPM is not receiving that information “on a regular basis” for similar insights into the program, since only 12 of the 44 carriers responding to the IG said they provide such information to OPM annually and the rest “sharing the data only when OPM requests it.” Read More
American, South Korean shipbuilders ink deal to pursue Navy auxiliary ship programs
(Breaking Defense) American shipbuilder HII and South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries have signed a memorandum of understanding to pursue “strategic teaming opportunities” for US Navy auxiliary shipbuilding programs. “This marks the beginning of deeper collaboration between not only our companies, but each of our countries, that will support enduring changes to military and commercial shipbuilding in America,” HII executive Eric Chewning said in the announcement. “We look forward to working collaboratively with HHI, the U.S. and South Korean governments, and with our customers to transform the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base and enable accelerated throughput in our shipyards.” Read More
Building a talent pipeline for the AI era
(McKinsey & Company) AI is ushering in a new era of work, and smart employers are rethinking how to cultivate the skills their organizations need to thrive. The best leaders realize they won’t be able to do it alone, says Beth Cobert, president of affiliates and strategic partnerships at Strada Education Foundation and a former senior partner at McKinsey. On this episode of McKinsey Talks Talent, Cobert joins Brooke Weddle, Bryan Hancock, and Global Editorial Director Lucia Rahilly to discuss the kinds of cross-sector collaborations that help businesses and workers develop skills for the future—and connect education more directly to high-quality jobs. Read More
Scientists use James Webb Space Telescope to make 1st 3D map of exoplanet — and it’s so hot, it rips apart water
(Space.com) Astronomers have produced the first-ever three-dimensional map of a planet outside our solar system — WASP-18b — marking a major leap forward in exoplanet research. Using the James Webb Space Telescope, researchers applied a new technique called 3D eclipse mapping, or spectroscopic eclipse mapping, to track subtle changes in various light wavelengths as WASP-18b moved behind its star. These variations allowed scientists to reconstruct temperature across latitudes, longitudes and altitudes, revealing distinct temperature zones throughout the planet’s atmosphere. Read More
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