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Senate committee advances pharmacy benefit 'prompt‑pay' bill after removing three‑year sunset
Summary
The Public Health and Welfare Committee advanced a committee substitute for Senate Bill 2677, a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) transparency and prompt‑pay measure, after voting to strike a three‑year reverse repealer. The substitute includes faster reimbursement timelines and licensing requirements for pharmacy service administrators.
The Public Health and Welfare Committee voted to advance a committee substitute for Senate Bill 2677, known in the hearing as the Pharmacy Benefit Prompt Pay Act, after members approved an amendment striking a three‑year reverse repealer.
Senator Parks, sponsor of the committee substitute, told the committee the substitute combines transparency provisions from prior sessions with data‑collection requirements and includes a three‑year repealer in lines 852–853 of the proposed substitute. "This bill contains the transparency plus the data collection," Parks said, and described several consumer‑facing and pharmacy protections included in the substitute.
Parks walked the committee through key provisions: requiring PBM reimbursement to pharmacies for cash discount card claims within seven days (rather than the current 60–90 days), licensing for Pharmacy Service Administration Organizations (PSAOs) similar to PBM licensing, and a prohibition on charging a patient more than the total reimbursement paid by the PBM for a given claim. Parks also said the substitute would include protections against retaliatory actions when a pharmacist files a formal complaint.
Senator Parker moved to strike the reverse repealer language on lines 852–853. Parker and other senators argued removing the repealer would avoid procedural delay and allow the legislation to move more rapidly through both chambers. The amendment to strike the reverse repealer carried after an aye/no vote announced by the chair.
After approving the amendment, the committee voted to report the committee substitute "title sufficient, do pass." The chair announced, "The ayes appear to have it," and the bill was reported out of committee.
Ending: The committee reported the committee substitute for SB 2677 to the Senate with the reverse‑repealer removed; committee members said they will review collected data over time per the substitute's provisions.
