Voluntary Benefits

An economist makes the case that the premium subsidies favors exchange plan users over group plan enrollees.

Jeff Smedsrud says the products can help group health plan enrollees cope with rising out-of-pocket costs and others cope with uncertainty.

The Unfunded Mandates Accountability and Transparency Act of 2025 bill would require federal agencies to publish a regulatory impact analysis for most rules with an anticipated annual economic impact of $100 million or more.

The "alternative funding program managers" assume patients get the drugs from charities or through other arrangements.

The UnitedHealth subsidiaries have told the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa that provisions in the law violate ERISA and the PBMs' freedom of speech.

Brian Blase, president of the Paragon Health Institute, talked about one possible subsidy shift proposal in a commentary he posted Thursday.