# 2026-15913: FTC settles Caremark-Zinc Health antitrust concerns with consent order 2026-15913, Caremark and Zinc Health Services; Analysis of Proposed Agreement Containing Consent Order To Aid Public Comment, is a Federal Register notice from Federal Trade Commission published 2026-08-05, effective 2027-01-01; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-12). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-15913 - As of: 2026-08-12 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Document number: 2026-15913 - Title: Caremark and Zinc Health Services; Analysis of Proposed Agreement Containing Consent Order To Aid Public Comment - Type: Notice - Agencies: Federal Trade Commission - Citation: 91 FR 50535 - Published: 2026-08-05 - Effective: 2027-01-01 - Comments close: 2026-09-04 - Significant: no - Touches household money: yes - Regulation identifier numbers: none - Last updated: 2026-08-12 ## In one line FTC settles Caremark-Zinc Health antitrust concerns with consent order ## Summary The consent agreement in this matter settles alleged violations of Federal law prohibiting unfair methods of competition. The attached Analysis of Proposed Agreement Containing Consent Orders to Aid Public Comment describes both the allegations in the complaint and the terms of the consent order--embodied in the consent agreement-- that would settle these allegations. ## Effects PRIA read - Insulin Copay Caps and Guaranteed Access: benefit, high. If your plan sponsor adopts a formulary that includes an insulin product covered by Caremark's Copay Certainty Program, Caremark must provide full access to that program to all members unless the plan sponsor opts out in writing. The program caps out-of-pocket costs at $25 for a 0–34 day supply, $5… - Rebates Passed Through At Point of Sale: benefit, medium. Caremark must offer a standard option to plan sponsors that lets members receive the benefit of any rebate or discount at the point of sale, without charging fees except actual pre-funding costs. The standard offering also forbids spread pricing and bars Caremark from providing plan sponsors rebate… - Stop Tying Out-of-Pocket To List Price: benefit, medium. Caremark's standard offering must ensure member out-of-pocket costs are not tied to a drug's list price or any benchmark higher than the plan sponsor's contracted rate minus rebates; member costs must be no higher than the plan sponsor's contracted rate minus any rebates. Additionally, Caremark mus… - Place Low-WAC Versions On Formularies: benefit, medium. Caremark must place low-WAC (lower list-price) versions of high-WAC drugs on its four standard commercial formularies at no disadvantage to the high-WAC version, unless the low-WAC version has a higher net cost or the drug was listed as 'Currently in Shortage' in the FDA Drug Shortage Database at t… - Delink Manufacturer Pay From List Price: benefit, medium. For its standard offering, Caremark must not base compensation received from drug manufacturers, directly or indirectly, on a drug's list price (WAC). This provision aims to remove incentives tied to higher list prices. - Retail Community Pharmacy Payment Rules: benefit, high. Caremark must offer retail community pharmacies (defined as businesses with three or fewer store locations) a standard offering that reimburses them based on the actual cost of acquiring drugs plus a dispensing fee, pays for non-dispensing services, and will not exclude any retail community pharmac… - Pharmacies May Work With Hub Service Providers: benefit, medium. Caremark is prohibited from imposing or enforcing rules that prevent or restrict a pharmacy's engagement with third-party digital pharmacy hub service providers, so long as the pharmacy complies with law, regulation, and certain transparency rules. Caremark also may not interfere with a pharmacy's… - Plan Sponsors Can Request Different Terms: mixed, medium. Caremark's Proposed Order lets plan sponsors request customized terms that differ from the standard offering; in that case Caremark must provide the standard offering and obtain a written signed acknowledgment that the plan sponsor received and understood the standard offering before agreeing to di… ## Related documents - [2026-22581](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22581): Petition for Rulemaking of New Hope Now, 2026-11-05 - [2026-21798](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-21798): Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Extension, 2026-10-26 - [2026-21659](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-21659): Publicis and LiveRamp; Analysis of Proposed Agreement Containing Consent Order To Aid Public Comment, 2026-10-23 - [2026-21630](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-21630): Granting of Requests for Early Termination of the Waiting Period under the Premerger Notification Rules, 2026-10-22 - [2026-21510](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-21510): Petition for Rulemaking of Jason Plotzker, 2026-10-21 - [2026-20970](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20970): Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Extension, 2026-10-14 ## Sources - [2026-15913 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/05/2026-15913/caremark-and-zinc-health-services-analysis-of-proposed-agreement-containing-consent-order-to-aid) - [2026-15913 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-08-05/pdf/2026-15913.pdf) ## Related - [Previous: 2026-15911, Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Bering Sea and Aleutian Is…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-15911) - [Next: 2026-15914, Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Reques…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-15914) - [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-15913 (as of 2026-08-12).