Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is pushing a new legislative proposal that he says would give customers more flexibility in buying prescription drugs and encourage price transparency.
The proposal would implement regulations on pharmacy benefit managers or PBMs, third-party administrators that function as intermediaries between insurance companies and consumers, including prohibiting them from requiring customers to use mail programs to receive prescription drugs.
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“These reforms will enhance transparency and reduce the influence of pharmacy middlemen, which will help consumers as well as our small pharmacies,” DeSantis said Thursday.
Pharmacy benefit managers would also have to supply the state with more information when registering to operate in Florida, such as disclosing any complaints or settlement agreements they’ve been involved in. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation would be directed to take action against PBMs that violate state laws.
The proposal would also mandate drug manufacturers provide a report each year explaining any prescription drug price increases. The measures would tackle issues that DeSantis says will help drive down prescription drug prices.
Desantis called on the Republican-led legislature to pass his proposals in the legislative session that will start in March. The proposals would codify aspects of an executive order that Desantis signed last July targeting PBMs, including requiring audits of PBMs that provide services for the state’s Medicaid program.
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Florida lawmakers have previously passed measures placing more regulations on PBMs. In 2022, lawmakers passed legislation to increase oversight of PBMs by giving the Florida Office of Regulation more authority over the companies.
Desantis has tried other measures aimed at lowering drug prices. Most notably, he defied GOP orthodoxy with a plan to import lower-cost prescriptions for seniors from Canada. That plan, though, has not received approval from the Food and Drug Administration, leading Desantis to sue the Biden administration last year.
