Latest news with #HouseBill264
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Senate panel votes to tighten rules on big pharmacy firms
BATON ROUGE, La. (LSU Manship School News Service) — A bill aimed at increasing transparency in how pharmacy benefit managers operate advanced out of the Senate Insurance Committee Wednesday, signaling a push to regulate an industry that critics say drives up drug prices and puts local pharmacies at risk. House Bill 264, authored by Rep. Michael Echols, R-Monroe, cleared the committee with amendments that would ban pricing schemes, strengthen oversight and increase transparency in the often-confusing world of drug benefits. PBMs are third-party companies that manage prescription drug benefits for health insurers, large employers and government programs like Medicaid. They negotiate with drugmakers and reimburse pharmacies, all while claiming to lower costs for patients. In practice, critics say they frequently do the opposite. A 2023 New York Times investigation found that the three largest PBMs–CVS Caremark, Express Scripts, and OptumRx–frequently steer patients toward higher-priced drugs, inflate prices and pocket billions in hidden fees. Owned by major healthcare conglomerates like CVS Health, Cigna, and UnitedHealth Group, PBMs operate largely behind the scenes but have significant control over drug costs for more than 200 million Americans. These layers of secrecy are what Louisiana lawmakers are now trying to peel back. But the Louisiana bill does not go as far as a law that took effect in Arkansas last year, which has led to concerns that CVS could close its stores in that state. Echols' bill would prohibit PBMs in Louisiana from engaging in spread pricing, a practice where they charge insurers more than they reimburse pharmacies and keep the difference. It would also require PBMs to pass 100% of manufacturer rebates to insurers or employers. It also would mandate annual certification under oath that they followed state transparency rules and give the Louisiana Department of Insurance power to audit their contracts and compensation programs. 'It creates a broader model nationally for transparent, fair BPM operations,' Echols said. 'It provides robust transparency, prohibits some of the spread pricing games that have been played in the past, and creates a local pharmacy reimbursement that has national standards.' Trump signs executive order aimed at slashing prescription drug costs To some extent, the debate in Louisiana echoes the turmoil in Arkansas, though Echols' bill is not as far-reaching. Arkansas passed a law in the spring of 2024 banning PBMs from owning or operating pharmacies. Last month, a year after the law was enacted, CVS Health sued to block it, warning that the policy would force the company to close 23 CVS Pharmacy locations in the state, eliminate more than 500 jobs and reduce patient access to life-saving medications. CVS Caremark, the PBM arm of CVS Health, manages prescription drug benefits for millions of Americans. Don Caffery, who represented the Louisiana Independent Pharmacies Association, called some of the changes in the Louisiana bill essential. 'Moving to a model prohibiting steering and prohibiting spread pricing, these are things that are going to keep independent community doors open ,' he said. 'This is simply about allowing the pharmacy to recoup the price of the drug and keep their doors open.' The bill drew wide support from local pharmacies, many of whom did not wish to speak publicly. Sen. Rick Edmonds, R-Baton Rouge, said he has heard from constituents struggling to get prescriptions filled. 'We are obligated to take up this issue and not let this happen to our local pharmacies or our constituents,' Edmonds said. 'I just want a fair dollar for dollar for our constituents, for our local pharmacies and our providers.' Sen. Regina Barrow, D-Baton Rouge, pressed Echols on whether the bill would truly benefit independent pharmacies and patients. 'I think 'scheme' is such an accurate word,' she said, referring to current PBM pricing practices. 'This has been one of the biggest schemes I've seen in a long time.' But she questioned whether the bill would keep money in the pockets of consumers and union workers. A representative from a Baton Rouge-based union testified against the bill, raising concerns that parts of the bill might conflict with a federal law that regulates employer-sponsored health plans, but there was testimony that the bill aligns with a 2020 U.S. Supreme Court decision that gave states limited authority to regulate PBMs, particularly on reimbursement rates. Still, the amendments added to Echols' bill focus less on rate-setting and more on tightening the appeals process for pharmacies and shielding certain proprietary PBM information from public disclosure. Echols said the bill began as a transparency measure in the House but has 'broadened' through its amendments in the Senate. 'At the end of the day, if the money isn't going to the patient, it has to go somewhere,' he said. 'This is an opportunity to lower premiums for our people and help our independent pharmacies.' Louisiana bill inspired by Make America Healthy Again movement heads to governor Musk calls for killing House's 'big, beautiful bill' Trump calls for scrapping debt limit US Education Department to determine funding EBR Schools gets for diversity program California teen stripped of track title after imitating iconic celebration Judge blocks deportation of family of man charged in Boulder attack Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 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Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill would ban self-promotion by schools, candidates before election
May 21—School districts, governments and elected officials may soon be blocked by the state from using taxpayer funds to send out publications that may indirectly support themselves or ballot issues 30 days before an election. The effort to curtail the self promotion comes in House Bill 264, joint sponsored by Rep. Adam Mathews, R-Lebanon. The bill would specifically prohibit government-funded publications that "refer to, but not directly advocate support or opposition of, a candidate, levy, or bond issue" in the 30 days preceding an election, according to the legislature's nonpartisan analysis of the bill. Mathews told this outlet that H.B. 264 would essentially broaden the same ethical restrictions put on state lawmakers, who are not allowed to send out mailers from their offices touting their achievements or backgrounds in the 30 days leading up to an election. "Other people, whether that be city or village councils, county commissioners or school boards, could and in some cases do send out information to promote themselves," Mathews said. "And, while they may not say the magic words of 'donate to,' or 'vote for this,' they are often using government resources to brandish their name or highlight one side of the story when we're in the middle of a voting period." The bill comes as the Ohio Auditor of State's Office has ramped up action against governments using taxpayer funds for campaign purposes. These efforts included a 2023 special audit into the Bellbrook-Sugarcreek School District and criminal charges brought against the district's superintendent and several board members who were accused of misusing public funds to support the passage of a May 2019 school levy, including allegedly authorizing district funds to pay for newsletters promoting the levy. Ohio law has long held that taxpayer money cannot be used by a government or school to advocate for the passage of a tax levy. However, providing factual information to voters about taxes, budgets and city or school news is allowed. Newsletters paid for by public entities, particularly school boards, have long walked a fine line between sharing positive school information, which is allowed, and openly campaigning to vote yes, which is not. Mathews said H.B. 264 would "make sure that government resources are used for government information and campaign resources are used for campaign information" by eliminating any loopholes school boards, governments or candidates may exploit to tip the scales in their favor. Mathews is on the bill with Rep. Tex Fishcer, R-Boardman. Both lawmakers testified to the House General Government Committee Tuesday that H.B. 264 wouldn't stop necessary communications between elected officials and their constituents. Mathews said he doesn't expect too much opposition from the boards or elected officials this bill would impact. ------ For more stories like this, sign up for our Ohio Politics newsletter. It's free, curated, and delivered straight to your inbox every Thursday evening. Avery Kreemer can be reached at 614-981-1422, on X, via email, or you can drop him a comment/tip with the survey below.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers want to keep 100-year-old Georgia residents from paying income tax
Are you 100 years old or older? If you are, some state lawmakers want to stop you from paying income taxes. Woodstock Rep. Jordan Ridley filed a bill to exempt Georgia centenarians from paying income taxes while living in the state. House Bill 264 says that while income taxes are imposed on every resident of the state of Georgia, beginning retroactively on Jan. 1, 'no such tax is imposed on any resident of this state who has reached the age of 100 or older prior to January 1 of such taxable year.' That means if the bill passes and gets signed into law, any Georgian who has already turned 100 this year, or did before Jan. 1, would not have to pay their income taxes. The bill is still in the early stages of the process and is still going through the House Ways and Means Committee. It has not yet been assigned to a Senate committee for review. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] RELATED STORIES: Will Georgians get another special tax refund in 2025? Georgia lawmakers renew push for sales tax holiday on firearms, ammunition Tax credit for gun safes introduced in Georgia Legislature Lawmaker files bill to keep Georgians from paying tax on inherited vehicles [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
