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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Colgate-Palmolive and its retirees are asking a federal court to approve a $332 million settlement in a class action lawsuit concerning the payout amounts of the former workers’ pensions. The settlement in the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) case will bring the almost decade-long suit to a close. The case is McCutcheon et al. v. Colgate-Palmolive Co. et al., Case Number 1:16-cv-04170, U.S. District Read More

The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) recently used its regulatory update to announce several new rules, including a new fee disclosure rule concerning pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). Characterized as a “high-priority” action for EBSA, the PBM fee disclosure rule would focus on direct and indirect compensation to further an executive order promoting drug price Read More