Joanne Roskey and Anthony Shelley will speak at the BlueCross BlueShield (BCBS) 2024 Law, Audit, Compliance & Ethics conference on May 20-21, 2024.

On May 20, Roskey and Shelley will present "ERISA Preemption of State PBM Laws and Beyond." As ERISA approaches its 50th birthday in September 2024, the statute's "crowning achievement" of ERISA preemption continues to occupy the attention of state legislatures, the federal courts, and Congress. Recent judicial and legislative activities related to the regulation of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), and in particular Florida's Prescription Drug Reform Act, will serve as a backdrop for their presentation. They will also address the reasons why preemption was so highly valued at the time ERISA was enacted, how legislative, executive, and judicial branch treatment of preemption over time compares to the doctrine's original intent and purpose, and where the ERISA preemption doctrine is likely heading in the future.

On May 21, Shelley will co-present "Supreme Court Update: Evolving Alliances Among U.S. Supreme Court Justices." Presenters will review the U.S. Supreme Court's current docket, emphasizing the issues and cases most affecting BCBS Plans and the business community. They will highlight the evolving allegiances between the Chief Justice and Trump appointees, who, together, are steering the outcomes in nearly all of the important and controversial cases. Topics include cases involving Chevron deference, the various Trump legal controversies, administrative law, FDA approval of abortion drugs, Idaho's Defense of Life Act, and ERISA issues.