SCOTUS sides against state of VT in data sharing case

On March 1, 2015, the Supreme Court sided in a 6-2 decision against the state of Vermont and with Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., a self-funded insurer. The state of Vermont argued that it needed data from Liberty Mutual in order to lower costs and improve effectiveness of healthcare. The Supreme Court agreed with Liberty Mutual that the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), takes precedent over state law, therefore protecting the company from having to comply with Vermont's request for data. The majority opinion of Gobeille v. Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. was written by Justice Anthony Kennedy and may be found here.