Relative to establishing a committee to study the impact of pharmacy benefit manager operations on cost, administration, and distribution of prescription drugs.
Impact
By forming this committee, SB560 seeks to enhance understanding of how PBM practices affect healthcare costs and the accessibility of medications. Specifically, the committee will evaluate claims from PBMs regarding cost savings, the use of clawbacks, and the implications of PBMs steering consumers towards specific pharmacies. These evaluations will involve gathering data on the effects of PBMs on health insurers' overall expenses and assess how plan designs impact consumer prices.
Summary
Senate Bill 560 establishes a committee tasked with studying the impact of pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) operations on the cost, administration, and distribution of prescription drugs in New Hampshire. The bill aims to address concerns surrounding the influence PBMs have on drug pricing and access, which have been increasingly scrutinized in the context of rising healthcare costs. The committee is mandated to investigate various aspects of PBM operations and their relationship with insurers, pharmacies, and consumers, looking to provide insights that could inform future legislative actions.
Contention
The bill is significant as it highlights a growing concern over the role of PBMs within the pharmaceutical supply chain. Advocates for the bill argue that comprehensive oversight and transparency in PBM operations are crucial for reducing costs for consumers and improving their access to medications. However, there may be opposition from PBMs and other stakeholders who could be concerned that increased scrutiny might lead to regulatory burdens or threaten their business models. The outcomes of the committee's study could influence future legislative actions related to pharmacy benefit managers.
Relative to investigating potential redundancies between the prescription drug affordability board and existing state agency programs regarding prescription drug cost data.
Campaign finance: contributions and expenditures; provision related to officeholders raising funds when facing a recall; modify, and require candidate to establish a separate account used for recall purposes. Amends secs. 3, 11, 12, 21, 24 & 52 of 1976 PA 388 (MCL 169.203 et seq.) & adds sec. 21b.
Campaign finance: contributions and expenditures; funds donated to a candidate for recall efforts; require candidate to establish a separate account used for recall purposes. Amends secs. 3, 11, 12, 21, 24 & 52 of 1976 PA 388 (MCL 169.203 et seq.) & adds sec. 21b.
A concurrent resolution recognizing wild rice as sacred and central to the culture and health of Indigenous Peoples in Minnesota and critical to the health and identity of all Minnesota citizens and ecosystems and establishing a commitment to passing legislation to protect wild rice and the freshwater resources upon which it depends.