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District Court Grants Injunction Blocking Enforcement of Parts of Iowa PBM Reform Law

"Under [the October 29] order, the state may not enforce the law's $10.68 dispensing fee for each prescription filled at retail pharmacies in Iowa for affected Wellmark plans. The injunction also extends to CVS Caremark, Wellmark's pharmacy benefit manager, for covered health plans and policies." [Wellmark v. Ommen, No. 25-0377 (S.D. Iowa Oct. 29, 2025)]

Iowa's New Prescription Drug Law Partially Halted by Federal Judge

"A new state law regulating certain pharmaceutical companies is partially and temporarily blocked -- but only for the Iowa businesses that signed onto a lawsuit ... The law in question was designed to help rural pharmacies and address prescription drug costs by adding regulations on pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs[.]" [Iowa Assoc. of Bus. and Ind. v. Ommen, No. 25-0211 (S.D. Iowa Jul. 21, 2025)]

Father of the 401(k) Designs Cheaper Retirement Plan

"Employees covered by small-business retirement plans typically pay between 1.5 percent and 2.75 percent annually in fees -- many of which are hidden and hard to understand.... [Ted Benna] has drawn up three new retirement-savings models that he contends offer the same benefits as a traditional 401(k). One is best suited for married employees with less than $100,000 of adjusted gross income and single employees with less than $62,000 of adjusted gross income. Another avoids the payroll taxes applicable to employer contributions. The third model allows employees to sock away pretax contributions of up to $12,500 under age 50 and $15,500 over age 50, compared with only $5,500 and $6,500 for some other models."

Six Health Insurers, Medicaid Join Colorado State Innovation Model

"Each insurer agreed to offer payments to primary care practices based on how well those doctors met goals centered around the quality of their care. In doing so, they moved another step away from the traditional fee-for-service model that has long dominated the health care industry ... The insurers also made several other agreements, including sharing pricing data with primary care practices."

New Iowa Law Targets Drug Intermediaries in Effort to Reduce Costs, Protect Pharmacies

"The new state law requires PBMs to update weekly their list of reimbursement rates to pharmacies; allows pharmacies to disclose or sell lower-cost prescriptions to covered individuals; and creates a framework for the state insurance commissioner to gather data on PBMs' activity in the state."

438 Million Vacation Days Went Unused by U.S. Workers in '07

Excerpt: Psychologists, demographers and others say we pass over time off for many reasons - an entrenched Puritan work ethic, fear of being seen as reckless slackers relaxing while the economy burns, squirreling away time for days we're stuck at home awaiting a repair call. The figure for time left behind comes from Harris Interactive, a polling and research group, which for seven years has examined trends in unused vacation days for Expedia.com, the Internet travel booker.

Pittsburgh Mayor Opposes Proposed State Takeover of the City's Ailing Pension

Excerpt: In an Aug. 5 letter obtained today by the Post-Gazette, the mayor outlined his position against the legislation, which would require that pension funds that are less than half-funded be folded into a state-controlled investment pool and subjected to new rules. The letter has been circulated to city council members and to Harrisburg officials by the city's lobbyist. 'The legislation would immediately increase Pittsburgh's pension payment by $28 million to $73 million,' the mayor wrote in the letter.

The Vacation Policy at Netflix: Take As Much As You Want

"When it comes to vacation, Netflix has a simple policy: Take as much as you'd like. Just make sure your work is done. Employees at the online movie retailer often leave for three, four, even five weeks at a time and never clock in or out. Vacation limits and face-time requirements, says Netflix Chief Executive Reed Hastings, are 'a relic of the industrial age.' "

Whither the American Pension?

"The sudden erosion of pension benefits for 1,100 former employees of the old St. Clare's Hospital in Schenectady is a scenario that isn't supposed to happen.... [ERISA] contained a religious exemption that was later expanded to hospitals operated by religious groups, and St. Clare's took advantage of that.... But what about the rest of America? Two generations of American workers increasingly don't have to worry about pension plan failures because fewer and fewer workplaces offer pensions."

Teamsters Pension Plan Warns Thousands of Beneficiaries That the Checks May Get Smaller

"The Western Pennsylvania Teamsters fund -- which has about 48 cents for every $1 in benefits it owes to retirees and workers -- notified participants in April that it is considering cutting benefits in order to insure that the fund doesn't become insolvent. The plan is expected to pay out nearly $129 million in benefits this year but will collect only about $54 million in contributions. If the current level of benefits is maintained, the fund is projected to run out of money in 2028."