In Review: Last week, six important bills failed to pass out their house of origin. This deadline impacted three important bills: SB1581 (the fiduciary bill); HB3368 (the alternative funding bill); and SB1955, which included a cause of action against PBMs. We continue to be concerned with SB1915, Standridge’s copay applicability bill, and its impact on copays at the point-of-sale. We are also continuing to monitor HB3190, the prior authorization bill. (Note that drugs have been entirely removed from its scope, with a fiscal note recently attached to HB3190.) We have added HB2853, a POS and transparency bill by Representative John Montgomery (R), to our list of active bills. Despite needing a new sponsor, it remains viable after passing the House and Senate Retirement and Insurance Committee in 2023.

Up Next: Our focus now shifts to the Attorney General regulation bills, SB1390 and SB1670. Organizations affected by the expanded PBM definition in both bills, such as mail-order pharmacies and discount card programs, are reaching out to the Attorney General. We are preparing a redline on SB1670 to highlight which provisions are the pharmacist concerns. Leadership has asked that we discuss those issues with the pharmacists in a stakeholders meeting. We continue to review the amended definition of “covered entity” in both SB1390 and SB1670, which now includes out-of-state plans covering Oklahoma residents.

If you have any questions, please contact Melodie Shrader at mshrader@pcmanet.org.