Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Senate adopts package to tighten pharmacy benefit manager rules, advances LB198
Summary
The Nebraska Legislature adopted committee amendments to LB198 to expand regulation of pharmacy benefit managers, bar certain shipping mandates and phase out spread pricing; the bill passed to E & R initial after unanimous floor votes.
Lincoln — The Nebraska Legislature on Thursday adopted a committee amendment to Legislative Bill 198 that tightens state oversight of pharmacy benefit managers and advances the bill to E & R initial.
Senator Terrell Sorrentino, sponsor of LB198, said the amended bill addresses multiple PBM business practices and “should allow substantial savings” for state Medicaid and employer-sponsored plans. The measure was amended by the Banking, Commerce and Insurance Committee and the floor adopted additional technical fixes before voting to advance the bill.
Why it matters: PBMs act as middlemen between insurers and pharmacies; proponents say greater transparency, prohibitions on certain contracting practices and protections for independent specialty and community pharmacies can improve patient access and lower program costs. Opponents had been concerned about unintended preemption under federal law, but sponsors said the amendment was drafted to fit within the U.S. Supreme Court’s guidance in Rutledge v. PCMA.
Most important points: The adopted committee amendment (AM 12-01 with…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
