Kathryn Swenor

The lawsuit could drop at any moment, and it won’t be pretty. I'm talking about the Federal Trade Commission’s potential next steps in its intensifying scrutiny of Pharmacy Benefit Managers, those companies that process 80 percent of the prescriptions in the U.S. In a scathing report released today, the FTC noted, “these powerful middlemen may be profiting by inflating drug costs and squeezing Main Street pharmacies.” Before I go further, I should note there are bad PBMs and good PBMs. Some are definitely trying to do the right thing, including passing along drug maker rebates and discounts. The FTC’s focus, of course, is on the bad apples. I've attached its report here for you. Here’s an excerpt that caught my eye: “PBMs and brand drug manufacturers sometimes negotiate prescription drug rebates that are expressly conditioned on limiting access to potentially lower-cost generic alternatives. “While this Interim Report principally focuses on the relationship between PBMs and pharmacies, we share evidence that PBMs and brand pharmaceutical manufacturers sometimes enter agreements to exclude generic drugs and biosimilars from certain formularies in exchange for higher rebates from the manufacturer. “These exclusionary rebates may cut off patient access to lower-cost medicines and warrant further scrutiny by the Commission, policymakers, and industry stakeholders.” Given the FTC's findings thus far, that scrutiny should be welcome by any employer fed up with the ever-rising cost of healthcare in America.

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Attention CT Employers... As was announced in May, the Connecticut Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program has some changes effective October 1st that employers need to be aware of. These changes include: -- An expansion of the rights of sexual assault victims by allowing the victims to receive PFML benefits to seek care or participate in the criminal justice process, -- Victims are eligible to receive PFML compensation at the same time as compensation from the state’s victim compensation program, up to the employee’s regular rate of compensation on a combined basis, -- The law requires employers with at least three employees to provide up to 12 days of annual leave for specified purposes related to family violence or sexual assault, and -- The changes also include requiring all employers that pay wages to register with the Connecticut Paid Leave Authority and submit required reports. If you have question regarding your CT-PFML, please reach out and our compliance team can assist you.

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