Nevada Senate passes AB259 on prescription drugs after floor warnings about pediatric infusion centers

The Nevada Senate voted to pass Assembly Bill 259, a measure the chamber described as establishing provisions governing prescription drugs, after a floor debate that included an extended opposition statement by Senator Buck.

Senator Buck said AB259 would threaten the financial viability of pediatric infusion providers and shift costs to providers rather than addressing manufacturers or pharmacy benefit managers. "I rise in opposition to assembly bill 2 59 because the long term viability of Nevada's primary provider of pediatric infusible therapies and the only stand alone center in the state dedicated to cancer, childhood cancer, and rare disease care, Cure for the Kids Foundation is directly at risk under a b 2 59," Buck said on the Senate floor.

The senator continued that, "Once maximum fair pricing is extended to include infusible medications and Nevada is legally bound to reimburse providers based on those federally capped rates, these therapies will no longer be viable to deliver within our state." Buck argued the bill, "creates a policy that benefits insurance companies, not patients," and said it provides "no exemption for medically necessary and feasible drugs, no acquisition cost parity, and no consideration for the unique circumstances of childhood cancer and rare disease care."

Buck also raised concerns about conflict with federal Medicaid rules and about pushing care into hospital settings at greater taxpayer expense. "As stewards of Nevada's healthcare system and a fiscal guardians of our state's long term health infrastructure, I urge you to take these concerns into consideration. AB 2 59 as currently written does not create true savings," Buck said, adding that it "creates unsustainable care gaps especially for those most vulnerable children and families in our communities. I urge this body to reject a b 2 59 and vote no."

Following the debate, the roll call recorded 13 yeses and 8 noes; the clerk declared AB259 passed and ordered to the Assembly.

The discussion in the Senate record documents concerns from at least one member that the bill's mechanics—particularly application of maximum fair pricing to infusible medications—could affect providers' ability to deliver high-cost therapies. The Senate record does not show enacted language changes on the floor; the final action recorded was passage and transmission to the Assembly.