"To address what was described as 'stalled' progress on price transparency during the intervening administration, the [EO 14221 gives] the Secretaries of the Treasury, Labor, and [HHS] 90 days to act to: [1] Instead of estimates, require the disclosure of actual prices of items and services; [2] Ensure pricing information is standardized and easily comparable across health plans and hospitals by issuing updated guidance or proposed regulations; and [3] Ensure compliance with transparency requirements by issuing guidance or proposed regulations updating enforcement policies."  MORE >>

"The Senate Democrats' package would give lawmakers room to breathe on telehealth, moving the expiration date of pandemic-era flexibilities to Dec. 31, 2026 ... The package also revives a private insurance telehealth provision that Congress let lapse at the end of 2024, the ability for patients with high deductible health plans linked to health savings account to receive telehealth services pre-deductible."  MORE >>

"Along with showing the importance of overall timely compliance with the right of access rule, the OHSU civil monetary penalty also shows covered entities the importance of promptly and completely correcting any violation and their causes that results in a failure by the covered entity (including an employee or business associate responsible for responding to requests) has violated the right of access rule."  MORE >>

"Women consistently spend nearly 30% more out of pocket on prescriptions than men, totaling $8.5 billion more in 2024 alone. Women visit doctors more often, fill more prescriptions, and manage more chronic conditions -- leading to higher total out-of-pocket costs across the board.... Women spend 113% more on depression medications and 103% more on anxiety treatments."  MORE >>

"What happened during those early weeks and months of the COVID pandemic changed the face of health care -- both in terms of the people working within it and the way that health care is delivered.... Before COVID, telemedicine was often seen as an inferior option, or one to be used only in special circumstances. But as it became commonplace out of necessity early in the pandemic, a surprising thing happened."  MORE >>

"We share Texas lawmakers’ goal of reducing prescription drug costs, and ERIC is ready to work with lawmakers to do so in ways that do not violate federal law. Unless bills such as SB 1122 are amended to limit state regulatory overreach, the policies they propose will threaten to erode ERISA preemption protections and severely undermine the ability of employers to provide high quality, affordable health benefits to their nationwide workforces."  MORE >>

"The district court found that AT&T did not act in bad faith or with intent to withhold documents and exercised reasonable care in their document production. Additionally, the court determined that Jones was not prejudiced by any alleged failures, as he had access to relevant grievance procedures and chose not to use them. The Fifth Circuit affirmed these conclusions, emphasizing that penalties are discretionary and not mandatory, even in cases of technical violations, especially absent bad faith or prejudice." [Jones v. AT&T, Inc., No. 24-30187 (5th Cir. Mar. 6, 2025; unpub.)]  MORE >>

"[E]mployers [often manage] health, retirement and other benefits in isolation. While it may seem efficient, this siloed approach often leads to missed opportunities, increased costs and greater employee confusion.... Breaking down these silos and fostering collaboration between benefit consulting silos isn't just a strategy -- it's a necessity. Employers that fail to do so risk losing talent, facing avoidable expenses and ultimately falling behind along an increasingly competitive landscape."  MORE >>