Business leaders across healthcare, technology, manufacturing, and professional services are closely tracking a wave of state and federal legislation that could reshape how they operate, according to a survey of executives on the Fast Company Impact Council. The 30 leaders identified rules spanning chemical management, healthcare price transparency, cybersecurity certification, special education oversight, electronic wills, Medicaid funding, and artificial intelligence as the policies most likely to affect their industries.
In healthcare, Glen Tullman of Transcarent said he is following federal transparency measures including the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act of 2026 and the Patients Deserve Price Tags Act. Employers face mounting pressure to manage rising healthcare costs, and the legislation could give them clearer access to prices, claims, payment, and fee data. Tullman argued that transparency is not about taking sides but about creating a common foundation for employers, health plans, pharmacy benefit managers, and providers to compete on value and improve accountability.
Salvatore Viscomi of Carna Health pointed to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Kidney Care Choices Model, which he said engages patients only after they reach stage 4 or 5 chronic kidney disease or end-stage renal disease. He compared that to building a fire response plan after a home is already ablaze, noting that most people with progressive kidney disease go undiagnosed for years. Viscomi called for policy to shift toward incentivizing preventive screening in primary care rather than managing patients after damage is done.
Jean Accius of CHC: Creating Healthier Communities said he is watching H.R.1, the «One Big Beautiful Bill,» and its Medicaid cuts. He warned that coverage loss means delayed care, sicker patients, and strained hospitals and local economies, threatening his organization's goal of halving the life expectancy gap between the healthiest and least healthy communities within a decade. Accius said healthier communities mean stronger workforces and economies.
In education, Nathan Friedman of flagged the Department of Education's shift of special education oversight to other federal agencies. More than 8 million public school students receive support through an Individualized Education Program or 504 plan, and a recent survey found 73% of parents expect the change to affect the quality of their child's education, yet more than half did not know it had happened. Friedman said trusted information becomes a scarce resource when awareness lags behind a change this big.
Defense contractors face pressure from the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification, according to Steve Tchejeyan of Island. He said the real story has not moved: contractors must protect their data. Organizations reacting to Washington's latest update are already behind, while those treating security as an ongoing discipline rather than a compliance checkbox will be fine regardless of how the assessment model changes.
Michael Lefenfeld of Hexion said chemical management and risk evaluation policies at the federal and state levels directly affect innovation, manufacturing, and the safe use of essential chemistries. He emphasized that regulatory decisions should be based on credible science and rigorous research, and said Hexion advocates for science-based decision making to protect people and the environment while supporting innovation and economic growth.
Cody Barbo of Trust & Will is following state legislation on electronic wills. New York, Missouri, and North Dakota passed digital estate planning laws in 2025, and Minnesota and Utah signed bills into law this year. Barbo noted that only about a third of states have modern estate planning laws, while 56% of U.S. adults have no estate documents at all. Every state that modernizes removes a barrier between a family and a finished plan.
One executive, who asked not to be identified by company, said the absence of clear rules around artificial intelligence in professional services is itself a concern. Brand strategy, naming, and campaign development can now be done end to end by machines, raising questions about whether state or federal lawmakers intend to draw lines around how far AI can go in those fields.
Together, the responses show that legislation is not an abstract concern for executives. It shapes costs, compliance obligations, market access, and the pace of innovation across sectors, and many leaders say they are engaging directly with policymakers and advocacy groups to ensure their industries have a voice in the rules that govern them.