On August 15, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (the “Tenth Circuit”) issued its decision in Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) v. Mulready, one of the first major opinions to further define...more
Insurance regulators and examiners (“Insurance Regulators”) are increasing their efforts to scrutinize pharmacy benefit managers (“PBMs”), including conducting examinations of their business operations and initiating...more
On April 20, 2023, McDermott’s Alden Bianchi was a speaker at the ERISA Industry Committee’s 2023 Annual Spring Policy Conference, which was held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The panel in which he...more
As our colleagues predicted, the Supreme Court’s decision in Rutledge v. Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) encouraged state efforts to expand regulation of pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) and related...more
Here are last week’s curated AG and federal regulatory news stories highlighting key areas in which state and federal regulators’ decisions are having an impact across the US: FTC’s New Rule Aims to Crack Down on False “Made...more
A bipartisan group of 34 AGs, led by Minnesota AG Keith Ellison, filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in support of North Dakota’s position in Pharmaceutical Care Management Association...more
Recent court trends suggest that preemption under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) may not apply to certain state laws that regulate pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), including state laws governing Maximum...more
In the recent decision Rutledge v. Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, the Supreme Court unanimously affirmed the power of state governments to regulate Prescription Benefit Managers (PBMs) without triggering federal...more
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent unanimous decision clears the way for state regulation of Pharmacy Benefit Managers (“PBMs”). Rutledge v. Pharm. Care Mgmt. Ass’n, 141 S. Ct. 474 (2020). At issue before the High Court was...more
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against pharmacy benefit managers (“PBMs”) last month, in a decision that marks a major win for state regulators. (See Rutledge v. Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, 2020 WL 7250098 (U.S....more
Recently, the Supreme Court released its decision in Rutledge v. Pharmaceutical Care Management Association. The case considers whether the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”) preempts an Arkansas state...more
In a recently decided case, Rutledge v. Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) does not preempt an Arkansas statute that...more
In the recently-decided Rutledge v. Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (“PCMA”), the Supreme Court found 8–0 (Justice Barrett did not take part) that ERISA did not preempt an Arkansas state law that established...more
On December 10, 2020, the Supreme Court in Rutledge v. Pharmaceutical Care Management Association held that ERISA does not pre-empt an Arkansas law regulating PBM prescription drug payment rates to pharmacies because it...more
The U.S. Supreme Court recently issued a unanimous decision in Rutledge v. Pharmaceutical Care Management Ass’n, which supports the validity of state statutes that regulate reimbursement rates pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs)...more
COVID-19- Defunct Travel Agency To Refund Travelers Who Paid Twice for Their Lodgings- Massachusetts AG Maura Healey reached a settlement with online travel agency BookIt Operating LLC d/b/a BookIt.com and its CEO...more
The U.S. Supreme Court handed down a decision on Thursday of last week that will impact state-level regulation of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) by holding that an Arkansas law regulating PBMs was not preempted by the...more
In a unanimous (8-0) opinion authored by Justice Sotomayor, the U.S. Supreme Court held that an Arkansas state law regulating rates at which pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) reimburse pharmacies is not preempted by ERISA. ...more
Summary The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously upheld an Arkansas statute that regulates the price that pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) pay retail pharmacies for prescription drugs. ...more
In Rutledge v. Pharmaceutical Care Mgt. Assoc., — U.S. –, 2020 WL 7250098 (Dec. 10, 2020), the Supreme Court held that ERISA’s broad express preemption will not reach a state law that focuses on the price of prescription drug...more
On Dec. 10, the United States Supreme Court issued its ruling in Rutledge v. Pharmaceutical Care Management Association. The Court reversed the 8th Circuit to uphold a state’s ability to regulate the price at which pharmacy...more
An Arkansas law regulating pharmacy benefit managers’ (PBMs) generic drug reimbursement rates, and affecting the cost of prescription drugs provided under ERISA-governed benefit plans and the administration of those plans, is...more
On October 6, 2020, the US Supreme Court (the “Court”) heard arguments on an Employee Retirement Income Security Act (“ERISA”) case that has the potential to curtail the rights of states to regulate their individual...more
On October 6, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear argument on ERISA’s preemptive effect on a state law regulating pharmacy benefit managers’ (PBMs) generic drug reimbursement rates in Rutledge v. Pharmaceutical Care...more
Last month, in Pharmaceutical Care Management Association v. Tufte et al. No. 18-2926 (8th Cir. August 7, 2020), the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit invalidated legislation in North Dakota on the grounds...more