Senators, advocates push bills to broaden which pharmacies can dispense specialty medicines

Senators and advocates testified that patients face delays accessing high‑cost, complex specialty medications because of pharmacy benefit manager and insurer practices that funnel prescriptions to a narrow set of pharmacies.

"This bill would prohibit insurance carriers from not dispensing specialty drugs to patients by a non‑network pharmacy as long as the pharmacy is able to fulfill the special handling, administration and monitoring requirements of the drug," Senator Jamie Eldridge said in support of Senate Bill 734, an "act ensuring access to specialty medications," which he filed with Representative Danilo Sena.

Eldridge described specialty drugs as those that "require special handling, administration, or monitoring" and said PBMs and insurers create barriers that make it harder for independent pharmacies to serve patients who have longstanding relationships with local pharmacists. A separate bill, H.1322, heard later, would similarly establish a procedure by which certain specialty pharmacists could be licensed or qualified to dispense these therapies.

Supporters said expanding the number of pharmacies able to dispense specialty medicines would help independent and small pharmacies stay viable and make it easier for patients to get timely treatment. Opponents were not prominent in the hearing record on this particular measure; industry witnesses who testified on PBM matters generally urged caution about broad mandates that would reduce plan sponsors’ ability to manage cost and quality.

Practical effects: Witnesses said the bills seek to preserve access and continuity of care by allowing local pharmacies that meet handling and monitoring standards to fill specialty prescriptions rather than forcing patients to use mail‑order or vertically integrated pharmacy networks. The committee did not take a vote on the specialty access measures during this hearing.