Latest news with #SenateBill140
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Indiana Governor signs Senate Bill to protect small pharmacies
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)— Indiana Governor Mike Braun signed Senate Bill 140 last week to address restrictive practices by pharmacy benefit managers. The bill that was signed into law establishes critical protections for local pharmacies and their patients. Senate Bill 140 will require pharmacy benefit managers to reimburse pharmacies fairly for their services based on the average cost to purchase and dispense medications. It also guarantees all pharmacies the opportunity to contract with a pharmacy benefit manager. Indiana Statehouse bills on local pharmacies and pharmacy benefit managers According to American Progress, 'PBMs occupy a central role in the drug price supply chain as negotiators, administrators, and decision-makers about which drugs will be most accessible to consumers.' In the news release from the Indiana Pharmacy Association, they applauded Braun due to the belief that pharmacy benefit managers often favor their own affiliated pharmacies, which undercuts independent pharmacies, pushing out healthcare providers and driving up costs. The bill also protects patients by allowing Hoosiers to choose their preferred pharmacy in their network. Pharmacy benefit managers must now offer retail networks that include at least one retail pharmacy within 30 miles of every insured person. They believe this will end reliance on mail-order-only options for Hoosiers and improve access to timely care. 'This bill is a significant step forward in ensuring the continued viability of local, community pharmacies,' said Indiana Pharmacy Association Executive Vice President Darren Covington, J.D. 'For far too long, pharmacy benefit managers have inadequately reimbursed community pharmacies, which has led to pharmacy closures, reduced hours, and staffing shortages. When local community pharmacies close, the whole community suffers. This bill sends a clear message that local community pharmacies matter to public health. We applaud the Indiana General Assembly and Governor Braun for their support of this important legislation.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Independent pharmacists urge lawmakers to adopt PBM bill
Independent pharmacists Harry Webb, left, and Kp Burkett testified on a PBM bill on March 25, 2025. (Whitney Downard/Indiana Capital Chronicle) Last year, pharmacist Harry Webb said his three-store chain of Webb's Family Pharmacy filled a collective 161,000 prescriptions for over 10,000 patients. But independent pharmacies like his are closing at an alarming rate across the county, with many owners pointing the finger at Pharmacy Benefit Managers, or PBMs. 'The PBM business is a shell game. Quite frankly, what we are getting paid is not what they're billing,' Webb told a House committee on Tuesday. 'Independent pharmacies are at the bottom … when it comes to getting reimbursed.' 'I'm not seeking special treatment,' Webb told lawmakers. 'I'm just trying to get fair reimbursement.' Webb was joined by a handful of other owners and association leaders to urge House committee members to push forward Senate Bill 140, a proposal that would implement several new regulations on PBMs. Specifically, it would require the entities to ensure network adequacy and prohibit perceived conflicts of interest between a PBM, insurer or retail pharmacy. Such vertical integration has been the subject of a federal investigation, which concluded that pharmacy middlemen are raising prices and committing other anti-competitive practices, such as reimbursing their own retail pharmacies at higher rates than independent stores. According to committee testimony, Indiana has roughly 450 chain pharmacy retail stores compared to about 200 supermarket-based or outlet locations. There are approximately 125 independent pharmacies located throughout the state. Opponent Joey Fox said that restrictions on ownership ties between PBMs and other corporations, 'flies in the face' of free market principles. 'We believe that the key question to ask everybody is, 'Do we want health care spending to go up, or do we want it to go down?' Every other effort by this body has been aimed at getting health care spending to go down,' Fox said. 'This bill, unequivocally and unquestionably, causes health care spending to go up.' Fox testified on behalf of the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, which advocates on behalf of the nation's major PBMs. Costs like a dispensing fee, which would guarantee some payments to independent pharmacies from PBMs, would ultimately just get passed along to policy holders like employers, Fox said. 'This bill makes it illegal for us to offer a better deal on drug prices to employers,' Fox said. The underlying bill attracted several hefty amendments, including one that would allow the State Personnel Department to pursue a contract to run a PBM for state employees and government insurance beneficiaries. None of the amendments were accepted by the committee on Tuesday, however, nor did the bill advance. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Associated Press
20-03-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
East Baton Rouge Conducts First-Ever Online Sheriff's Sale on Bid4Assets
EAST BATON ROUGE, La., March 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The East Baton Rouge, Louisiana sheriff's office has selected Bid4Assets, the leading online marketplace for government foreclosure auctions, to host the parish's first-ever virtual sheriff's sale. The first sale is scheduled for April 2. Prospective bidders must register a free Bid4Assets account and fund a $500 deposit to participate. This move follows the successful implementation of online sheriff's sales in several other Louisiana Parishes using Bid4Assets, including Tangipahoa Parish, Ouachita Parish, and Lafourche Parish. By utilizing Bid4Assets, East Baton Rouge aims to reach a wider audience of potential buyers, thereby maximizing the returns on sold properties and benefiting the local community. 'Transitioning to an online platform for our sheriff's sales was a strategic decision to enhance transparency and accessibility,' said East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Sid Gautreaux. 'We are committed to serving our community effectively, and this partnership with Bid4Assets allows us to do just that.' Bid4Assets collaborated with sheriffs, attorneys and legislators to help pass Senate Bill 140, which was signed into law in 2023. The bill gave Louisiana sheriffs the option, but not the mandate, to conduct foreclosure auctions online. 'It is an honor to be working with East Baton Rouge Parish on their first online sheriff's sale,' said Bid4Assets President Jesse Loomis. 'We are committed to providing a seamless and efficient auction experience, and we look forward to helping the Parish achieve its goals.' For more information on the upcoming sheriff's sale and to view the list of available properties, visit About Bid4Assets Bid4Assets is one of the world's leading online marketplaces for the sale of distressed real estate property sold by governments, county tax-collectors, financial institutions, and real estate funds. It conducts online tax and foreclosure sales for counties across the United States and has sold more than 150,000 properties grossing more than $1.8 billion in completed government transactions. Bid4Assets is a wholly owned subsidiary of Liquidity Services. Contact: Sean McLaughlin Marketing Manager (301) 562-3427
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Senators move prior authorization, PBM regulations
Sen. Tyler Johnson, R-Leo, listens to his colleagues on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (Leslie Bonilla Muñiz/Indiana Capital Chronicle) Senators greenlit two health bills on Thursday ahead of a critical deadline with near-unanimous support — one limiting insurer's powers over prior authorization and another restricting pharmacy benefit managers. Nearly every senator voted to restrict prior authorization requirements in the state, though the bill is much weaker than its original version to avoid a fiscal cost. For author Sen. Tyler Johnson, an emergency physician, the proposal is a culmination of a two-year effort to limit the practice. Lawmakers scrutinize 'black box of state PBM spending' 'Hoosiers deserve access to treatments they've already paid for; treatments their doctors have deemed medically necessary,' said Johnson, R-Leo. 'Far too often, bureaucratic hurdles in the form of prior authorization stand between patients and the care they need.' He disputed the original $1.2 billion price tag calculated by fiscal analysts, pointing to a pilot program prohibiting prior authorization for select claims under the state employee health plan which Johnson said 'saw no increase in utilization. Zero.' That same cost sunk the bill when it moved to the House in 2024. According to the American Medical Association, 94% of physicians reported care delays due to prior authorization, including 24% who reported that such delays had led to a serious adverse event. The initial version of Senate Bill 480 would have taken a much more aggressive approach to reigning in the use of prior authorization but was weakened in an appropriations committee. As introduced, the bill would have capped prior authorization denials at 1% and prohibited the use of prior authorization for drugs under $100. Both portions were struck, retaining provisions that require reviews and denials to be issued by doctors of the same specialty — rather than algorithms, artificial intelligence or non-specialty health care providers. However, Johnson vowed to 'keep fighting' to identify a 'meaningful cap on prior authorization for services.' The bill also tightens definitions for 'medically necessary' so it can't be disputed between insurers and providers. Nearly every senator signed onto the bill as either an author or co-author, as the practice has long been a target for health care reform. Just two Republican Senators — Aaron Freeman of Indianapolis and Mike Gaskill of Pendleton — voted against the measure. Neither publicly shared their reasoning. A bill pitched as 'the most aggressive piece of PBM legislation' would target pharmacy benefit managers, the middle man tasked with negotiating drug prices between manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies. Senate Bill 140 would require data collection from PBMs — some of which has been withheld by the entities in the past for being 'proprietary,' according to committee testimony. Information related to state employees would be explicitly state property under the bill and PBMs could be penalized for discriminatory reimbursement practices that independent pharmacies say hurts their bottom line. CONTACT US But the most ground-breaking provision would be a prohibition for insurers and PBMs to contract together if they share ownership. The ban also applies to pharmacies. The three PBMs that account for 80% of U.S. prescriptions — Caremark, Express Scripts and OptumRX — are all owned by major health care players, as spelled out by Healthcare Dive. Pharmacy giant CVS owns Caremark while insurers Cigna and United Health own Express Scripts and OptumRX, respectively. Johnson authored the ownership language and pitched it as a 'firewall' between entities. However, it's less certain if the language will apply to self-insured plans, which make up the majority of health care coverage in Indiana. Plus, it will only apply to policies enacted after June 30, 2026. The bill advanced on a 47-2 vote. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Indiana bills unfairly target pharmacy benefit managers
Across Indiana, businesses of all sizes work hard to provide quality, affordable health benefits for their employees and their families. But recent efforts — both at the state and federal levels — threaten to take those choices away. Legislation like Indiana Senate Bill 140 and House Bill 1606 introduced last month, along with misguided proposals being considered in Congress, unfairly target pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) under the guise of reform. These efforts would strip employers of the tools they rely on to offer quality prescription drug coverage at an affordable price, ultimately raising costs for businesses and workers. Hicks: Indiana's startling Medicaid math forces unpleasant choices Employers and their employees are the first ones to feel the growing costs of health care, and they depend on PBMs to push back against those increases. PBMs play a critical role in our health care system, helping health plan sponsors offer the pharmacy benefits their employees need at a price the employees can afford. On average, PBMs save employers and families $1,040 per person each year by leveraging their scale to negotiate lower prices and rebates. As a result, PBMs make it possible for businesses to offer high-quality, affordable benefits while keeping premiums and out-of-pocket costs in check. PBMs give employers flexibility so that each health plan sponsor can design the benefits that best suit their needs. A national survey of nearly 700 employers found that '88% of survey respondents expressed satisfaction with their PBMs' ability to provide the lowest costs for employees at the pharmacy counter.' The value of PBMs extends far beyond employers and those who rely on prescription medications. University of Chicago economics professor Casey Mulligan found that PBMs create an annual $145 billion value for society. Mulligan's research highlights that PBMs' impact goes beyond the employer-PBM-patient relationship. They benefit the entire health care system — including drug manufacturers, pharmacies, and government programs — by introducing cost-saving mechanisms and competition that help lower prices. However, lawmakers are targeting PMBs and creating a spider web of regulations to disable them. Proposals like spread pricing bans, government-mandated pass-through pricing, and 'delinking' policies would strip away these cost-saving mechanisms, leaving businesses with fewer choices and higher expenses. These misguided policies claim to help patients but, in reality, they would increase health care costs by over $26 billion annually — a devastating hit for small businesses, workers and families. Legislation like SB 140, considered in Indiana, would add a $10.64 tax on many prescriptions filled in the state and even ban employers from offering specific lower-cost pharmacy options, such as mail-order. Mail-order is a convenient and affordable option that helps patients stay on the medicines they need by ensuring they get their prescriptions delivered right to their doors. As someone who spent years in the Indiana legislature, I know the importance of allowing businesses to operate with flexibility and market-driven solutions. Employers — not government mandates — should decide how to structure their health benefits. When companies have the freedom to choose the best options for their employees, they can better control costs, improve coverage and provide stability for their workforce. Weakening PBMs would force businesses to make difficult decisions—either absorb higher healthcare costs, shift those costs to employees through higher premiums and out-of-pocket expenses, or reduce their benefits altogether. None of these outcomes help working families. Instead of interfering with employer-driven health plans, policymakers should strengthen the private market and ensure businesses retain the tools to keep health care affordable. Indiana's workers and employers deserve policies that protect their benefits, not those that make coverage more expensive and complicated to access. Legislators should reject harmful policies undermining employer choice and free-market competition in health care. The right approach is straightforward: support businesses, protect the private market, and preserve the flexibility that keeps prescription drug costs under control for Hoosier families. Jim Merritt, a Republican, was an Indiana state senator for more than 30 years. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: SB 140, HB 1606 unfairly target pharmacy benefit managers | Opinion
