In Review: Along with the Nebraska Insurance Federation and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska, we have been working with stakeholders on potential amendments to LB 198. The legislation originally included reimbursing pharmacists based on their invoices, a ban on spread pricing, specialty pharmacy, and steering. While we are still waiting to see the final draft, we were able to remove the reimbursement provision and modify the steering language. However, the Insurance Federation and the Blues agreed to phase out spread pricing by 2029. The specialty language still includes some problematic language despite including “terms and conditions.” The bill was designated a committee priority, and with a unicameral system, the legislation will have plenty of time to pass the legislature.

Up Next: We are trying to see if it is not too late to make changes to the specialty language.

If you have any questions, please contact Bill Head at bhead@pcmanet.org.