A coalition of Congressional democrats has introduced the Patient Over Profits (POP) Act, which directly targets UnitedHealth Group and its subsidiary, Optum. The legislation is designed to restrict large insurance companies like UnitedHealth from acquiring health clinics and practices. Cosponsors of the bill include U.S. Sens. Edward Markey and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, supported by Sens. Jeff Merkley and Elizabeth Read More
DOL Finds Morgan Stanley’s Deferred Compensation Program Exempt from ERISA
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued Advisory Opinion 2025-03A, in which it resolves a dispute over Morgan Stanley’s deferred compensation program, which provides incentive awards to financial advisors. In its opinion, the DOL found that the program is a bonus, not a pension plan subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). The impact of the DOL opinion for Morgan Stanley employees is Read More
EEOC Accuses Cheerwine Bottling Co. of ADA Violations
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed suit against Piedmont Cheerwine Bottling Co. for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) after it required an employee with multiple sclerosis (MS) to submit to a medical exam and a physical agility test to obtain medical information and then fired her after receiving the results. The employee was a store merchandiser at Cheerwine’s Read More
No ERISA Preemption of Arkansas Insurance Rule Regulating Pharmacy Reimbursements
A federal court recently decided that the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) does not preempt an Arkansas insurance rule that affects pharmacy reimbursements. The case is Cent. States, Se. and Sw. Areas Health and Welfare Fund v. McClain, 2025 WL 2522621 (N.D. Ill. 2025). Arkansas implemented an insurance rule that regulates pharmacy reimbursements. The rule requires health benefit plans and Read More
Survey Shows CEOs Acknowledge Benefits of Wellness Programs
According to Wellhub, a New York-based corporate wellness platform, a survey involving 1,500 CEOs earlier this year found that most CEOs recognized the benefits of workplace wellness programs. The survey respondents found the primary benefits of the program were increased productivity, elevated retention rates, and reduced healthcare costs for employees. The survey revealed that around 80% of all CEOs Read More
11th Circuit Rules Health Plan’s Gender Care Exclusions Not Discriminatory
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit recently overturned the rulings of a federal district court and an Eleventh Circuit panel, finding that a Georgia health plan’s exclusion of coverage for gender-affirming health care violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The full appellate court ruled 7–5 that the exclusions were non-discriminatory because the plan made no distinctions between sexes in applying Read More
Lyft Pays $19.4 Million to NJ Attorney General’s Office for Driver Misclassification
The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office has announced that Lyft has paid off the $19.4 million it owed to the state for misclassifying drivers as independent contractors. The dispute originated when Lyft drivers filed for unemployment and disability benefits, triggering an audit of the rideshare company’s records from 2014 to 2017 by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce (NJDOL). Based on the audit Read More
Trump Administration Targets PBM Reform to Lower Drug Prices
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (RFK), secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), appeared at a recent Senate Finance Committee hearing to review the current administration’s healthcare policy priorities. Although much of the hearing focused on RFK’s efforts to alter medical research priorities and vaccination policies, discussion on PBM reforms also occurred. More specifically, RFK stated that the Read More
SEC Fines Vanguard and Empower Over $25M for Inadequate Disclosures
Under recent settlements, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is requiring Vanguard Advisors and Empower Advisory Group and Financial Services to pay more than $25 million in fines and disgorgement. The move comes after allegations that they failed to properly disclose compensation for advisors enrolling clients in their managed account programs. The sums include $19.5 million in fines for Vanguard Read More
Federal Court Finds Exclusion of Gender-Affirming Surgery for Minors Violates ACA
Despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling in U.S. v. Skrmetti, a federal district court has ruled that a health plan excluding coverage for certain gender-affirming surgeries for some minors violated Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The court’s ruling, in large part, rests on the health plan’s coverage of mastectomies and breast reductions for minor males with gynecomastia, but not transgender Read More
