News Briefs: Senate Panel Advances PBM Reform Bill
Following a hearing on insulin costs in which senators from both political parties grilled PBM executives, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee approved the Pharmacy Benefit Manager Reform Act of 2023 (S. 1339). The legislation would ban spread pricing, introduce a host of transparency requirements, and compel PBMs to pass on rebates and fees they collect to their health plan clients, Pink Sheet reported. However, HELP Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) would not allow a vote on an amendment that would prohibit PBMs from charging administrative fees based on a percentage of a drug’s list price, as that amendment did not yet have a Congressional Budget Office score. The measure passed on an 18-3 vote with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) voting no.
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