"[S]ome employer-sponsored prescription drug coverage previously calculated as creditable, may longer be.... [A] group health plan provides creditable coverage if the prescription drug plan: [1] Offers coverage for brand, generic, and biological prescription drugs, and [2] Offers reasonable access to retail pharmacies, and [3] Pays, on average, at least 72% (up from 60% currently) of participants' prescription drug expenses. For those employers offering more than one health plan, the creditable coverage determination must be made for each plan."  MORE >>

"[The new law] would bar PBMs from steering patients to specific pharmacies or choosing to exclude certain pharmacies from their networks in an unfair way. The bill mirrors similar legislation passed in Texas, Georgia, Indiana and Montana, Reynolds said in a statement. The law would require PBMs to reimburse independent or unaffiliated pharmacies at the same rate they pay affiliated facilities, and also pay dispensing fees for prescriptions."  MORE >>

"Two of your most useful tools ... are Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) and Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). But depending on your specific plan, one of these options may give you a greater benefit than the other ... [This] chart comparing the key elements of an HRA and HSA -- such as annual maximum contributions, payable medical expenses and more -- will help you make the right call."  MORE >>

"The [Senate bill] would require Medicare beneficiaries to prove their citizenship or legal residency status to continue to receive their benefits.... Senators scrapped provisions in the House bill that would have significantly expanded health savings accounts.... Enhanced premium tax credits for ACA plans are set to expire at the end of this year, and the Senate bill does not include measures to extend them.... Pharmacy benefit managers escaped from the bill largely unscathed despite significant bipartisan interest on the Hill in reforming that sector."  MORE >>

"BBB shows favoritism of Health Savings Accounts and Health Reimbursement Account benefits, making changes to broaden their scope, increase utilization, and bolster savings. The Act also provides a glimpse into legislative or regulatory changes that may be on the horizon for ERISA-governed plans, including standards for Pharmacy Benefit Manager compensation, contractual requirements, and disclosures applicable to government-subsidized plans."  MORE >>

"Recent litigation alleging the breach of fiduciary duties under ERISA for failure to prudently monitor prescription drug costs has created a new impetus for employers to consider a fiduciary committee to oversee the plan. While a health and welfare plan committee offers some risk-mitigation advantages over the default approach, maintaining a fiduciary committee demands significant resources to operate properly and therefore may not be the most efficient way to manage the plan or operate the business."  MORE >>

"Employers said rising medical care costs, in particular, have created greater challenges for delivering their health benefits (44%), well-being programs (44%) and leave benefits (36%)."  MORE >>

"The sessions ... will feature remarks by practitioners and scholars ... The dates for the sessions are ... Monday, June 30 at 2 pm ET -- Anticompetitive Conduct by Pharmaceutical Companies Impeding Generic or Biosimilar Competition; Thursday, July 24 at 2 pm ET -- Formulary and Benefit Practices and Regulatory Abuse Impacting Drug Competition; Monday, August 4 at 2 pm ET -- Turning Insights into Action to Reduce Drug Prices."  MORE >>

"Alaska is the state with the highest median allowed amount for vaginal deliveries, $29,152.08, followed by (in order from highest to lowest) New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and California. Alaska also has the highest median allowed amount for C-sections, $39,531.62, followed by Maine, Vermont, Oregon and New Jersey. Mississippi has the lowest median allowed amount for vaginal deliveries, $9,847.37, followed by (in order from lowest to highest) Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Missouri. Mississippi also has the lowest median allowed amount for C-sections, $11,110.18, followed by Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee."  MORE >>

"Under a new law taking effect December 31, 2025, companies, including application-based entities, can voluntarily contribute to a contractor's portable benefits -- like health insurance, retirement savings, and life insurance -- with a win-win tax effect: employers can deduct the cost, and workers don't pay taxes on the value received. This novel approach could reshape how businesses support gig workers and freelancers without risking a misclassification finding."  MORE >>

"The Court engaged in careful statutory analysis of the employee's argument that the term 'competitive activities' in the definition of forfeiture for competition agreement is broader than the phrase 'certain specified activities competitive with' in the definition of noncompetition agreement. Finding it would render the statute internally contradictory, the Court rejected this argument." [Miele v. Foundation Medicine, Inc., SJC‑13697 (Mass. S.J.C. June 13, 2025)]  MORE >>

"[B]oth data providers and market participants report that sidecars have recently been capturing an increasing amount of capital from traditional insurance investors (such as pensions) and from other investors (such as hedge funds and special situations funds) looking to capture returns from the higher property and casualty insurance rates. Since 2019, sidecar transactions have also been implemented to support retrocession of life and annuity risks."  MORE >>