The latest from Washington, D.C., impacting the insurance and financial services industries.
Members of Health Agents for America returned from their 2024 Agent Summit in Washington, where they discussed issues ranging from the practice of “twisting” to the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act on Medicare Part D with their elected representatives in Congress.
Short-term limited duration insurance is the subject of new restrictions by the federal government.
U.S. deficits loom, and while that is a long-term consideration, we do not expect it to discourage insurers from adding to their fixed income exposure in the near-term.
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas issued a stay earlier this month preventing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services from implementing a new rule changing compensation rules for professionals providing products and services related to Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D programs.
The Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit tossed out the Biden administration’s ESG rule in a decision posted this morning.
With Congress focusing on trying to pass 2024-2025 government spending bills, some bipartisan health care reforms will likely be punted to late this year.
The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a Christian-owned business can’t be compelled to cover preventive medications as is required under the Affordable Care Act.
Provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 that impact individual taxpayers will expire at the end of 2025 unless Congress acts.
The Medical Debt Cancellation Act seeks to alleviate financial stress for Americans burdened by health care expenses.
The Connelly decision may generate questions about buy-sell agreements from clients and their tax and legal teams.
The case involved a now bankrupt out-of-network mental healthcare treatment center (Sure Haven, Inc.) that violated the plan’s terms (fee-forgiving) but demanded plan payment.
This will result in an increase in the health spending share of GDP from 17.3% in 2022 to 19.7% in 2032.
Connelly v. U.S. questioned whether the proceeds of a life insurance policy taken out by a closely held company on a shareholder constitutes an asset of the company when calculating the value of the shareholder’s shares for purposes of the federal estate tax.
The Congressional Budget Office rudely interrupted the presidential campaign by releasing its 10- year budget outlook. Neither Joe Biden nor Donald Trump wants to talk about the woolly mammoth in the room, but somebody has to point out that growing entitlements and debt payments are squeezing national defense. As helpful historical context, the U.S. added…
The ERISA Industry Committee today asked the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service for additional clarity regarding the regulations governing health care and retirement benefits.
—A price gauge closely tracked by the Federal Reserve cooled slightly last month, a sign that inflation may be easing after running high in the first three months of this year. Inflation fell sharply in the second half of last year but then leveled off above the Fed’ s 2% target in the first few months of 2024. With polls showing that costlier rents, groceries and…
Covid has affected everyone, whether or not you were vaccinated. Not that Robert Kennedy, Jr. is right about shots. Polls suggest that people ignore the economic recovery and blame Joe Biden for not giving them the kind of personal prosperity that had supposedly boosted their purchasing power and assured their retirement.
—Hopes for interest rate cuts this year by the Federal Reserve are steadily fading, with a stream of recent remarks by Fed officials underscoring their intention to keep borrowing costs high as long as needed to curb persistently elevated inflation. At the same time, with polls showing that costlier rents, groceries and gasoline are angering voters as the…
A stronger economy is good news for the Social Security program but Congress must act to keep it solvent.
Prescription drug pricing, pharmacy benefit manager reform and the No Surprises Act are among the health care-related issues making news in Washington.
