Cigna-Express Scripts Merger Approved by DOJ - Zachary Tracer and David

McLaughlin, Ben efitsPro

In March of this year, Cigna announced that it would acquire Express Scripts, the largest pharmacy benefit management (PBM) company in the U.S. that provides a myriad of PBM services, but is most well-known for home delivery of prescription medications.

Earlier this week, news broke that the Department of Justice (DOJ) antitrust professionals approved the acquisition. So what does this all mean? For insurers, it's a no-brainer as they can direct consumers toward preferred pharmacy partners, but could this mean future medical expense savings?

Can You Deduct an Apple Watch as a Medical Expense - Maria Lamagna, MarketWatch

One of the most common questions we get is about the eligibility of Fitbits and other fitness trackers, which aren't yet eligible for tax-free spending. But until recently, popular fitness tracker features (step counters, heart rate monitors, etc.) didn't have the features that actually might be considered FSA- or HSA-eligible.

With the recent announcement of the Apple Watch Series 4 which contains eligible features like echocardiograms, the law may have to change a little more before these products get another look. As HSA experts know, eligible products must "diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat, or prevent a disease," so our bet is a pocket EKG will qualify under those rules.

Now, don't get ahead of yourself just yet -- you can't go to a doctor and ask for an Apple Watch prescription. But now that people are talking about the possibilities, don't be surprised to see this back on the IRS' radar soon.