Senate bill would make pharmacies disclose lowest available price at point of sale, sponsors say

Senate Bill 665 would require pharmacy benefit managers and pharmacies to disclose the lowest available price for prescriptions at the point of sale, including coupons, cash price and therapeutically equivalent alternatives. Sen. Denise Ricciardi said the goal is transparency so consumers are not steered into higher-price options they did not know they could avoid.

Consumer witnesses offered first-person examples: one testified that asking a pharmacist saved him $59.80 on a 90-day blood-pressure medication by switching to the pharmacycash price rather than using insurance. "When information is withheld about lower cost options, unnecessary costs are shifted to customers," the sponsor said.

Supporters said the bill would not rewrite PBM contracts but would give consumers the information to choose the lowest price at the counter. Committee members had no immediate objections during the hearing; the measure was set for further consideration and stakeholder work with the committee.

What comes next: The sponsor and proponents encouraged continued collaboration with stakeholders to refine any technical or contractual concerns before the committee acts.