The Patients Over Profit Act (POP Act) prevents companies from owning both health insurance companies and medical providers at the same time. The basic idea is to stop conflicts of interest where an insurance company could profit by denying care or cutting corners on the providers it owns.

Here's what it means in practice: If a company currently owns both an insurance plan and, say, a chain of urgent care clinics or a group of doctors, they'd have two years to sell one or the other. If they acquire one after this law passes, they'd have one year to divest. The law applies to Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans, starting in 2026. It also covers management companies that run healthcare operations on behalf of providers—those can't be owned by insurance companies either.

If companies violate this rule, federal agencies like the Federal Trade Commission, Department of Justice, or state attorneys general can sue them. Courts can force them to sell off the conflicting business and return any profits they made while breaking the law. That money goes into a fund to help healthcare needs in affected communities. The law specifically excludes hospitals, equipment suppliers, and pharmacies from these restrictions, focusing instead on doctors' offices, clinics, and other outpatient providers.