Amended
IN
Senate
May 03, 2022 |
Amended
IN
Senate
April 20, 2022 |
Introduced by Senator Kamlager (Coauthor: Senator Gonzalez) |
February 18, 2022 |
The bill would require the department and the commissioner, on or before March 1 each year, to provide a report on the impact of those provisions on drug prices and health care premium rates, as specified.
The bill would repeal those provisions January 1, 2026.
This
bill would further specify the duties of care owed by a pharmacy benefit manager to the health care service plan and its enrollees and providers. The bill would provide that, in the event of a conflict between these duties, the pharmacy benefit manager duty owed to an enrollee prevails over the duty owed to any other party, and the pharmacy benefit manager duty owed to a provider prevails over the duty owed to the health care service plan. The
(b)
(d)“Pharmacy benefit manager duty” means a duty and obligation to perform pharmacy benefit management services with care, skill, prudence, diligence, fairness, transparency, and professionalism, and for the best interests of the enrollee, the health care service plan, and the provider, as consistent with the requirements of this section and any regulations that may be adopted to implement this section.
(e)
(f)
(1)Negotiated price concessions,
including, but not limited to, base price concessions, whether described as a “rebate” or otherwise, and reasonable estimates of any price protection rebates and performance-based price concessions that may accrue directly or indirectly to the health care service plan during the coverage year from a manufacturer, dispensing pharmacy, or other party in connection with the dispensing or administration of a prescription drug.
(g)“Spread pricing” means any amount charged or claimed by a pharmacy benefit manager in excess of the amount directly or indirectly paid to a pharmacy, pharmacist, or
other provider on behalf of the health plan, less a pharmacy benefit management fee.
(a)(1)A pharmacy benefit manager shall owe the pharmacy benefit manager duty to any enrollee, health care service plan, or provider that receives pharmacy benefit management services from the pharmacy benefit manager or that furnishes, covers, receives, or is administered a unit of a prescription drug for which the pharmacy benefit manager has provided pharmacy benefit management services.
(A)The pharmacy benefit manager duty owed to enrollees shall include duties of care and good faith and fair dealing. The department shall adopt regulations defining
the scope of the duties owed to enrollees, including by obligating pharmacy benefit managers to provide all pharmacy benefit management services related to formulary design, utilization management, and grievances and appeal in a transparent manner to enrollees that is consistent with the best interest of enrollees and to disclose all conflicts of interest to enrollees.
(B)The pharmacy benefit manager duty owed to health care service plans shall include duties of care and good faith and fair dealing. The department shall adopt regulations defining the scope of the duties owed to health care service plan, including by obligating pharmacy benefit managers to provide transparency to health care service plans about amounts charged or claimed by the pharmacy benefit manager in a manner that is adequate to identify all instances of spread pricing.
(C)The pharmacy benefit manager duty
owed to providers shall include duties of care and good faith and fair dealing. The department shall adopt regulations defining the scope of the duties owed to providers, including by obligating pharmacy benefit managers to provide transparency to providers about amounts charged or claimed by the pharmacy benefit manager in a manner that is adequate to identify all instances of spread pricing and to disclose all conflicts of interest to providers.
(2)If there is a conflict between the pharmacy benefit manager duties owed under this section, the pharmacy benefit manager duty owed to an enrollee shall be primary over the duty owed to any other party, and the pharmacy benefit manager duty owed to a provider shall be primary over the duty owed to a health care service plan.
(b)A health care service plan that contracts with a pharmacy benefit manager for management of any or all of its prescription drug coverage shall require the pharmacy benefit manager to do all of the following:
(1)Comply with the provisions of Section 1385.003.
(2)Register with the department pursuant to the requirements of this article.
(3)Exercise good faith and fair dealing in the performance of its contractual duties to a health care service plan.
(4)Comply with the requirements of Chapter 9.5 (commencing with Section 4430) of Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code, as
applicable.
(5)Inform all pharmacists under contract with or subject to contracts with the pharmacy benefit manager of the pharmacist’s rights to submit complaints to the department under Section 1371.39 and of the pharmacist’s rights as a provider under Section 1375.7.
(c)A pharmacy benefit manager shall notify a health care service plan in writing of any activity, policy, or practice of the pharmacy benefit manager that directly or indirectly presents a conflict of interest that interferes with the discharge of the pharmacy benefit manager’s duty to the health care service plan to exercise good faith
and fair dealing in the performance of its contractual duties pursuant to subdivision (b).
(3)The claim experience of the policies managed or the claims processed by the pharmacy benefit manager.
(a)