Search the News Archive

Mercer and ERIC Comment Letter to CMS on Reporting on Pharmacy Benefits and Prescription Drug Costs (PDF)

"Some employer-sponsored medical benefits (such as expatriate plans, standalone telehealth plans, and other unique benefit designs) provide insignificant coverage of prescription drugs. Requiring these plans to report prescription drug information would be statistically inconsequential and would not benefit the Departments.... Currently, there are many programs offered to employers called copay maximizer and accumulator programs that allow the value of these programs to be captured by plan sponsors.... The Departments' approach excludes this type of cost-sharing assistance from the definition of 'prescription drug rebates, fees and other remuneration.' "

ERIC and Mercer Response to EBSA RFI: Reporting on Pharmacy Benefits and Prescription Drug Costs (PDF)

"ERIC and Mercer request that the Departments consider issuing a delay for the Final Rule, in order to give employers time to negotiate and execute new contracts that will ensure they receive the required reporting information from all third-party vendors.... Plans and issuers will need at least 12 months to prepare the required data for submission to the Departments and [OPM].... Collecting data can be a daunting task for self-insured employers if they have carved out their pharmacy benefit to a PBM."

Mercer's GRIST Report: House Passes Broad Pension Bill; Senate Outlook Uncertain (PDF)

13 pages. Excerpt: The pension bill largely mirrors the benefit-related provisions in a long-stalled House-Senate conference report on HR 2830. These include comprehensive pension funding reforms and other significant changes affecting hybrid, defined contribution, nonqualified deferred compensation, and health plans.

Text of Mercer Comment Letters to FASB on Cash Balance Plan Accounting

Target page includes links to letters dated April 27, 2004 and April 14, 2004.

Seattle's Mandate for Healthcare Expenditures for Hotel Employees Survives ERISA Challenge

"The court noted that employers can satisfy the ordinance with a health plan or cash compensation, so no ERISA plan is required. While the ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) intends to appeal the ruling, covered employers should review their health plan designs and strategy for compliance. Seattle has issued final rules for the Improving Access to Medical Care for Hotel Employees Ordinance and set up a website that includes waiver forms and Q&As clarifying certain provisions in the law." (ERISA Indus. Comm. v. Seattle, No. 18-1188 (W.D. Wash. May 8, 2020))

Witness Statements to ERISA Advisory Council: 'Reducing the Burden and Increasing the Effectiveness of Mandated Disclosures with Respect to Employment-Based Health Plans in the Private Sector'

Testimony submitted for June 6, 2017 meeting: James Gelfand, ERISA Industry Committee [ERIC] Mark Buckberg, Bond Beebe Terry Dailey, Mercer Linda Duvall, Associated Administrators Brennan McCarthy, Willis Towers Watson Elizabeth Queen, Central Data Services Kevin Schlotman, Benovation Mary Ellen Signorille, AARP Anthony Sorrentino, SilverStone Group Michelle Varnhagen, AARP Sandford Walters, Kelly & Associates Insurance Group Peter Wiedenbeck, Washington University School of Law