Broker Regulation

Given the various proposed legislation for PBM reform, benefits brokers would be well served to be fully aware of the changes, be able to explain how they might affect their clients, and in the best-case scenario, be prepared to offer recommendations for plan changes and employee communication.

The FTC rolled out new merger-review hurdles that it says are partly aimed at addressing congressional concerns that subsidies by foreign powers such as China "can distort the competitive process."

"Companies that try to change the rules of the game by re-writing their privacy policy are on notice," Samuel Levine, director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement Friday.

Though the federal government pays the monthly premium for qualified low-income consumers on an ACA plan, the policies often come with copayments, deductibles, and other out-of-pocket costs.

Making it easier for eligible people to enroll in and maintain Medicaid coverage also may help close coverage gaps for people of color.

AHA led by underscoring the industry's positive responses to the transparency demands.

"Looking ahead to 2024, it seems likely that employers will be challenged to absorb higher health care cost increases," said Beth Umland, director of health research for Mercer.

The whistleblower, Amy Vermillion, "brought a case [the government] never would have known about, [and the defendants] would have continued the fraud if it wasn't for her bringing this forward," said her lawyer, Mike Bothwell.