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Administration proposes pharmacy assessment to bolster independent pharmacies; PBMs and 340B also under scrutiny
Summary
House 1 includes a pharmacy assessment and a $2 dispensing fee outside section intended to shore up pharmacy access, particularly in low‑income neighborhoods; officials said the plan would reinvest assessment proceeds into pharmacy rates while acknowledging concerns about PBMs and the complex 340B market.
Assistant Secretary Mike Levine and Secretary Kate Walsh told the panel that the House 1 proposal contains a pharmacy assessment and accompanying reimbursement changes meant to stabilize pharmacies that serve low‑income communities.
Levine described the mechanics: the assessment would levy charges on prescriptions filled in the Commonwealth and reinvest the proceeds plus $20 million into Medicaid pharmacy rates and higher dispensing fees for MassHealth. He said the net result would be a modest increase in income to pharmacies that especially support community health centers and…
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