California Passes Pharmacy Benefit Management Bill

California has joined a number of other states, including Vermont and Washington, in requiring pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to register with a state department. Assembly Bill 315 (AB 315), Pharmacy Benefit Management was signed by California Governor Jerry Brown on September 29, 2018 and became effective January 1, 2019. The bill includes several new requirements detailed below. A complete list of legislation affecting PBMs across the country can be found here. Pharmacy benefit managers ostensibly exist as middlemen seeking to reduce prescription drug prices and to negotiate contracts on behalf of their clients. PBMs are now responsible, among other things, for administering the various pharmacy benefits for health plans, conducting drug utilization reviews, and negotiating rebates and reimbursement amounts. Although professionals in PBM positions, as the California Assembly analysis writes (available as PDF download here), “have one of the most prominent roles in…

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