Latest news with #HB358
American Press
24-06-2025
- Business
- American Press
PAR talks pharmacy bill, possible Medicaid cuts
(Special to the American Press) Prescription costs and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) were a target at the tail end of the 2025 legislative session that ended earlier this month. In the aftermath, three lawmakers joined the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana on a webinar last week to discuss the regular session: Senate President Cameron Henry, House Criminal Justice Vice Chair Vanessa LaFleur and House Appropriations Chairman Jack McFarland. Several bills were discussed, including House Bills 264 and 358. These bills focus on PBMs, the middlemen between drug manufacturers and health insurance providers. HB 264, which was passed by the state senate, places new restrictions on PBMs to ensure transparent practices and increase pharmaceutical savings for customers. The legislation requires PBMs to pass rebates and discounts onto customers and prohibits PBMs from sending customers to their pharmacies. The bill, HB 358, was halted in the state senate in the last hours of the regular legislative session after the state senate opted to not introduce the legislation. HB 358 would have prohibited the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy from renewing or granting permits for pharmacies owned or operated by PBMs, ultimately banning PBMs from owning retail pharmacies in Louisiana. HB 358's provisions would not have taken effect until Jan. 1, 2027. Henry said the long implementation period gave some lawmakers pause, stating the bill died at the state senate primarily because the bill 'didn't go through the normal legislative process.' 'There wasn't committee hearings on the senate side of the house side, no public testimony, the most basic things you need to do when you're doing something of this magnitude that's going to affect literally everyone across the state,' he explained. 'At the end, that late day, being that late in the sessions, having an implementation date that long out, members really feeling uncomfortable … let's study the effect of this.' Proponents of the bill believe the move will lead to lower pharmaceutical drug costs. But those opposed said the closure of pharmacies in Louisiana would disrupt healthcare, worsen health outcomes and increase drug costs for patients, according to a Pharmaceutical Care Management Association release. Gov. Jeff Landry took to social media the day after the legislative session ended to declare his plans for a special session to 'lower your drug prices.' Henry said a special session to address HB 358 is unlikely. The state senate did pass a resolution requiring the Louisiana Department of Health to study the potential impacts of HB 358, which must be completed before the 2026 regular legislative session in March. Federal Medicaid Changes However, Henry said to expect a special session if the over $90 billion cuts to Medicaid included in the 'Big Beautiful Bill' is passed with no implementation period. Nationally, there are particular concerns about the $400 billion cut to provider taxes that fund Medicaid for 49 states. For Louisiana, the loss could total $4 billion, which would have 'devastating' effects on rural hospitals and medical providers, he said. 'We can't handle a huge drop immediately. What we'd do there would not be pleasant, but we have to do it.' House Criminal Justice Vice Chair Vanessa LaFleur echoed Henry, stating that budget cuts would have to be made in special session if the Medicaid funding is immediately pulled. 'As much as I don't like the idea, if it happens the way we anticipate, we'll be back in special, we'll be making cuts because we have to. It's just the unknown.' Henry has been in touch with U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, and U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise to warn them of the potential negative impact of Medicaid cuts on the state. 'They're aware of it, but they're also aware that the rest of the country wants changes,' he said. 'The idea of waste, fraud and abuse sounds good, but it all depends on how you define it.' A two-to-three-year implementation period with the opportunity for amendment is 'the most realistic thing we can ask our delegation.'
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
CVS under investigation for sending text messages to customers lobbying against proposed bill
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill has launched an investigation into CVS, probing whether or not the company has been improperly using its customers' personal information to send text messages lobbying against a state law. She said she also plans to issue the company a cease-and-desist letter to halt the texts, according to ABC News. Lawmakers debating the failed bill at the center of the controversy shared images of CVS's texts during a hearing on Wednesday. 'Last minute legislation in Louisiana threatens to close your CVS Pharmacy — your medication cost may go up and your pharmacist may lose their job,' one text said, according to the Associated Press. The bill would have prohibited companies from owning both pharmacy benefit managers and drug stores. CVS owns retail pharmacies as well as CVS Caremark, which is one of the nation's top three pharmacy benefit managers, meaning the law would have directly affected its business. CVS Caremark and other pharmacy managers essentially act as middlemen by purchasing prescription drugs from manufacturers and determining the terms for how those drugs are distributed to customers. In 2024, the Federal Trade Commission issued a report saying that the managers "may be profiting by inflating drug costs and squeezing Main Street pharmacies." In Louisiana, CVS's text messages included links to a draft letter asking lawmakers to reject the legislation. 'The proposed legislation would take away my and other Louisiana patients' ability to get our medications shipped right to our homes,' the letter read. 'They would also ban the pharmacies that serve patients suffering from complex diseases requiring specialty pharmacy care to manage their life-threatening conditions like organ transplants or cancer. These vulnerable patients cannot afford any disruption to their care – the consequences would be dire.' State Representative Dixon McMakin said CVS was "lying" and using "scare tactics" to oppose the legislation. CVS reportedly sent "large numbers" of texts to state employees and their families to lobby against the legislation, according to Murrill in her statement. Amy Thibault, a spokesperson for CVS, provided the Independent with the following statement: 'Louisiana's HB 358 came together Wednesday with no public hearing. We believe we had a responsibility to inform our customers of misguided legislation that sought to shutter their trusted pharmacy, and we acted accordingly. Our communication with our customers, patients and members of our community was consistent with law. Our focus remains on serving the people of Louisiana: lowering drug costs, providing access to care, and helping improve health. We look forward to working productively with policymakers to continue to make prescription drugs more affordable and accessible and to promote the value of community pharmacy.' The bill failed to pass the state Senate, which decided not to take it up for the 2025 session.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
CVS targeted by Louisiana AG for unsolicited text messages
BATON ROUGE, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill says that recent actions taken by the drug store chain CVS to oppose a bill being considered in the Louisiana Legislature are unfair and deceptive. The Louisiana Attorney General's Office issued a cease and desist notice to CVS, claiming the retailer had violated the Louisiana Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law, R.S. 51:1401. The AG said it received information that on June 11, 2025, they received information that CVS/Caremark manages the drug plans for thousands of Louisiana citizens and state employees through the Office of Group Benefits, 'improperly appropriated, for its own use, the personal contact information of Louisiana OGB members and other Louisiana customers by sending them unsolicited and unwanted text messages for political reasons.' Cease-and-Desist-CVS-6.12.2025Download According to the AG, the information provided in the text messages contained 'inaccurate and deceptive statements' regarding House Bill 358 introduced during the 2025 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature as an attempt to urge recipients to contact their representative to oppose the bill, a violation of state law. AG Murrill advised CVS to end the action, saying that failure to do so may result in the state taking legal action against the retail pharmacy. The link included in the text message no longer provides information about HB 358. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Int'l Business Times
13-06-2025
- Business
- Int'l Business Times
CVS Under Investigation for Using Customer Data in Political Texts, Says Louisiana AG
The CVS pharmacy logo is displayed on a sign above a CVS Health Corp. store in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 7, 2024. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill has launched an investigation into CVS, accusing the pharmacy chain of using customer phone numbers to send political messages without consent. The messages, which reached both private citizens and state employees, warned that a proposed bill could lead to CVS pharmacy closures, higher drug costs, and job losses. Lawmakers criticized the texts, saying they were deceptive and relied on scare tactics to influence people. AG Murrill said CVS may have broken privacy rules by using phone numbers originally given for health-related alerts like vaccine notices or prescription reminders. "That's not why anybody gave them their phone number," Murrill told reporters. She added that a cease-and-desist letter and formal investigative demands have been sent to CVS, AP News said. The bill in question would have banned companies from owning both pharmacies and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). CVS owns both CVS Pharmacy and Caremark, one of the country's top PBMs, which act as middlemen in drug pricing and distribution. Critics of PBMs argue that they increase costs and hurt small, local pharmacies. CVS Pharmacy's mass text message yesterday is the exact reason we need HB 358 to pass. Abusing patient's sensitive information to push a political message is completely unethical and manipulative and we will not stand for it. I'm calling on @AGLizMurrill to investigate this… — Governor Jeff Landry (@LAGovJeffLandry) June 12, 2025 CVS Faces Backlash for Mixing Prescription Alerts With Politics Rep. Dixon McMakin slammed the texts from CVS during the debate. "No we're not, you liars. Quit using scare tactics," he said, referring to claims that lawmakers could shut down every CVS in the state. Even Republican Representative Bryan Fontenot shared that he got a political message from CVS in the same text thread that usually sends his prescription updates. "They've now taken that to send me political texts," he said on the House floor. According to ABC News , screenshots of the messages showed links to prewritten letters urging lawmakers to vote against the bill. The letter warned that if the legislation passed, patients with serious illnesses might lose access to vital medications. CVS spokesperson Amy Thibault defended the company's actions. "We believe we have a responsibility to inform our customers of misguided legislation that seeks to shutter their trusted pharmacy," she said in an emailed statement. She claimed the messages were sent because a last-minute amendment to the bill gave the company no time to respond through normal public hearings. The bill passed in the House with a strong 88–4 vote, but the Senate didn't take it up before the session ended. Governor Jeff Landry has vowed to call a special session to revive the legislation. Murrill stated that using personal information collected through a state contract for political messaging is inappropriate and a misuse of data. Originally published on © {{Year}} All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Louisiana lawmakers push for transparency in drug pricing, bill advances
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — A bill aimed at regulating pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) has passed and is awaiting the governor's signature. HB 264, authored by Michael Echols (R-La.), is geared towards ensuring fair reimbursement and transparency in drug pricing. The bill redefines the term rebate, which would include a wide range of discounts received by PBMs. These changes are meant to highlight how PBMs negotiate and profit from deals with drug manufacturers. It would also allow PBMs to label certain submitted information as confidential. The Commissioner of Insurance would have the authority to review PBM records and compensation structures and ensure reasonable reimbursements. Donald Trump Jr. took to social media, asking Louisiana to pass HB 358, which would allow a pharmacy technician to work remotely in certain circumstances. 'It's time to pass HB358 and end the charade that costs hard-working Americans so much money when buying prescription drugs. Enough is Enough!' Trump wrote. EBR Metro Council picks new advisor for Raising Canes River Center redevelopment project 'It's a big problem in Baton Rouge': Authorities suspect human trafficking in massage parlors College Drive flyover project complete, brings relief to Baton Rouge drivers Louisiana lawmakers push for transparency in drug pricing, bill advances Judge blocks Trump's National Guard deployment in Los Angeles Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
