Mark Cuban explains the importance of divestment of the biggest insurance companies, the power employers have, and why doctors are still the good guys in this video excerpt from an interview with JAMA Editor in Chief Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo.

The FTC reached a no-fine, no-penalty settlement with Cigna’s PBM, Express Scripts. Instead, the company will implement business model changes. The lawsuit centered around Express Script’s insulin pricing and allegations of driving up prices.

February’s federal funding package included appropriations to bolster PBM reform. The law includes provisions that increase transparency in PBM contracts and stop PBMs from tying Part D payments to drug list price, among other things.

West Virginia v. UnitedHealth Group Inc (No. 25-cv-00267, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Virginia) alleges that Optum, United HealthGroup’s PBM, oversupplied opioids to patients, punished those who imposed dispensing limits, and accepted payments from opioid manufacturers.

Three months after California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new state law into effect, small pharmacies in the state are waiting to see if it has its intended effect. This law prevents PBMs from favoring their pharmacies, places parameters on a PBM’s income, and creates new provisions around penalties and violations.

Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) introduced the Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) Price Transparency and Accountability Act. This bill would remove compensation tied to negotiated rebates, create new Medicare reporting requirements, and require PBMs to give Medicaid payments directly to participating pharmacies, among other things.