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HB631Introduced in the House of Delegates

State pharmacy benefits manager; contractual provisions, report.

IntroducedHouse Appropriations

Introduced by Katrina Callsen, District 54

What does this bill do?

Plain-English breakdown

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Official description

State pharmacy benefits manager; contractual provisions; report. Requires the Department of Medical Assistance Services' contract with the state pharmacy benefits manager to (i) require that that ingredient-cost reimbursement is based on the national average drug acquisition cost, or if unavailable, the wholesale acquisition cost minus a discount set by the Department, plus a professional dispensing fee, determined by the Department; (ii) require real-time or near real-time transparency in drug costs, rebates collected and paid, dispensing fees paid, administrative fees, and all other charges, fees, costs, and holdbacks, claim denials appeals, and network participation; (iii) prohibit the state pharmacy benefits manager from steering Medicaid recipients to affiliated pharmacies through differential cost-sharing, restrictive network design, or the mandatory use of a mail order pharmacy provider; (iv) require the state pharmacy benefits manager to (a) meet network adequacy standards established by the Department; (b) allow any willing pharmacy to participate in the pharmacy network; (c) verify that all contracted pharmacies are actively accepting Medicaid recipients; (d) submit annual reports containing certain information; (e) disclose to the Department pricing and maximum acquisition cost methodologies; and (f) allow invoice-based or national average drug acquisition cost-based appeals and require an adjustment of rates network-wide when an appeal is upheld; and (v) include enforcement mechanisms and monetary penalties for noncompliance. Additionally, the bill requires Department to annually calculate the savings generated by the use of the state pharmacy benefits manager and to annually increase its dispensing fee by the amount of such savings. The bill requires the Department to annually (1) publish and make available on its website its annual and total savings achieved, the annual and total amount applied to dispensing fees increases, and the updated dispensing fees and (2) report to the General Assembly on the state pharmacy benefits manager's compliance, national average drug acquisition cost compliance, pharmacy reimbursement trends, network adequacy compliance, and dispensing fee sufficiency.

Where it stands

Left in Committee Appropriations

February 18, 2026

How did lawmakers vote?

House of DelegatesStage: Subcommittee recommends laying on the table (6-Y 1-N) · February 13, 2026

6

Yes

1

No

0

Absent or Not Voting

7 delegates recorded in this House of Delegates vote. Colors show vote categories only, not whether a vote was good or bad.

What do people think?

Citizen Voice

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See how each delegate voted

Bill history

  1. Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26103637D

  2. Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce

  3. Assigned HCL sub: Subcommittee #1

  4. House subcommittee offered

  5. Subcommittee recommends reporting with amendment(s) and referring to Appropriations (9-Y 0-N)

  6. Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB631)

  7. Reported from Labor and Commerce with amendment(s) and referred to Appropriations (21-Y 1-N)

  8. Assigned HAPP sub: Health & Human Resources

  9. Subcommittee recommends laying on the table (6-Y 1-N)

  10. Left in Committee Appropriations

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