The ERISA Industry Committee Concerned North Carolina Pharmacy Benefit Manager Legislation Oversteps State Authority, Violates Federal Law

WASHINGTON, June 1, 2023 – The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) today said it has “deep concerns” with North Carolina House Bill 246 and the expansive regulation of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) that it proposes. Namely, the bill contains several provisions that seek to control the design and administration of self-insured employer health plans governed solely by the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), which PBMs often administer. To highlight the negative impacts posed by HB 246, ERIC developed a legislative outlook memo to better inform advocacy organizations and stakeholder groups also engaged on this statewide effort.

ERIC And 30+ Employer Groups Support Pharmacy Benefit Manager Reform Act

WASHINGTON, May 1, 2023 – The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) today joined with more than 30 other groups representing the nation’s employers to voice support for Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Ranking Member Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and Sens. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Roger Marshall’s (R-KS) Pharmacy Benefit Manager Reform Act (S. 1339) ahead of the Committee’s scheduled markup tomorrow.

CEO Annette Guarisco Fildes of The ERISA Industry Committee Retires

WASHINGTON, April 20, 2023 – Annette Guarisco Fildes, CEO of The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) since 2015, is retiring after building the organization into a powerful advocate for large employers on benefits issues at the federal, state, and local levels.  She will remain as an advisor to ERIC.

The ERISA Industry Committee Leads Coalition Amicus Brief Supporting Legal Challenge to Oklahoma Law on ERISA Preemption Grounds

WASHINGTON, April 11, 2023 – The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) joined with like-minded coalition groups yesterday to file an amicus brief supporting the legal fight to defeat expansive provisions of Oklahoma law governing the design of employer health plans’ provider networks. These provisions overstep state authority in this area and should be preempted by federal law.

The ERISA Industry Committee Supports IRS Rule Permitting Workers and Spouses to Execute Retirement Plan Decisions Using Video Conferencing Technology

WASHINGTON, March 30, 2023 – The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) today submitted comments supporting an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) proposed regulation permanently allowing notary publics, pension plan representatives, and plan participants and their spouses to use secure video conferencing technology to officially execute certain decisions about retirement benefits.

Employers Urge the U.S. Senate Finance Committee to Reform the Pharmacy Benefit Manager Business Model

Washington, D.C., March 30, 2023 – Employers’ Prescription for Affordable Drugs (EmployersRx), of which The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) is a member, provided a statement for the U.S. Senate Finance Full Committee’s hearing on “Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBM) and the Prescription Drug Supply Chain: Impact on Patients and Taxpayers” highlighting the need for federal action to better understand PBM practices.