Sec. 137309. Oversight of pharmacy benefit manager services
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/bill/117/hr/5376/eh/section-137309·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Subchapter B of chapter 100 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended by the preceding provisions of this Act, is further amended by adding at the end the following: For plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2023, a group health plan or an entity or subsidiary providing pharmacy benefits management services on behalf of such a plan shall not enter into a contract with a drug manufacturer, distributor, wholesaler, subcontractor, rebate aggregator, or any associated third party that limits the disclosure of information to plan sponsors in such a manner that prevents the plan, or an entity or subsidiary providing pharmacy benefits management services on behalf of a plan, from making the reports described in subsection (b).
For plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2023, not less frequently than once every 6 months, an entity providing pharmacy benefits management services on behalf of a group health plan shall submit to the plan sponsor (as defined in section 3(16)(B) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974) of such group health plan a report in accordance with this subsection and make such report available to the plan sponsor in a machine-readable format. Each such report shall include, with respect to the applicable group health plan— as applicable, information collected from drug manufacturers by such entity on the total amount of copayment assistance dollars paid, or copayment cards applied, that were funded by the drug manufacturer with respect to the participants and beneficiaries in such plan; a list of each drug covered by such plan or entity providing pharmacy benefit management services that was dispensed during the reporting period, including, with respect to each such drug during the reporting period— the brand name, chemical entity, and National Drug Code; the number of participants and beneficiaries for whom the drug was filled during the plan year, the total number of prescription fills for the drug (including original prescriptions and refills), and the total number of dosage units of the drug dispensed across the plan year, including whether the dispensing channel was by retail, mail order, or specialty pharmacy; the wholesale acquisition cost, listed as cost per days supply and cost per pill, or in the case of a drug in another form, per dose; the total out-of-pocket spending by participants and beneficiaries on such drug, including participant and beneficiary spending through copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles; and for any drug for which gross spending of the group health plan exceeded $10,000 during the reporting period— a list of all other drugs in the same therapeutic category or class, including brand name drugs and biological products and generic drugs or biosimilar biological products that are in the same therapeutic category or class as such drug; and the rationale for preferred formulary placement of such drug in that therapeutic category or class; a list of each therapeutic category or class of drugs that were dispensed under the health plan during the reporting period, and, with respect to each such therapeutic category or class of drugs, during the reporting period— total gross spending by the plan, before manufacturer rebates, fees, or other manufacturer remuneration; the number of participants and beneficiaries who filled a prescription for a drug in that category or class; if applicable to that category or class, a description of the formulary tiers and utilization mechanisms (such as prior authorization or step therapy) employed for drugs in that category or class; the total out-of-pocket spending by participants and beneficiaries, including participant and beneficiary spending through copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles; and for each therapeutic category or class under which 3 or more drugs are included on the formulary of such plan— the amount received, or expected to be received, from drug manufacturers in rebates, fees, alternative discounts, or other remuneration— to be paid by drug manufacturers for claims incurred during the reporting period; or that is related to utilization of drugs, in such therapeutic category or class; the total net spending, after deducting rebates, price concessions, alternative discounts or other remuneration from drug manufacturers, by the health plan on that category or class of drugs; and the net price per course of treatment or single fill, such as a 30-day supply or 90-day supply, incurred by the health plan and its participants and beneficiaries, after manufacturer rebates, fees, and other remuneration for drugs dispensed within such therapeutic category or class during the reporting period; total gross spending on prescription drugs by the plan during the reporting period, before rebates and other manufacturer fees or remuneration; total amount received, or expected to be received, by the health plan in drug manufacturer rebates, fees, alternative discounts, and all other remuneration received from the manufacturer or any third party, other than the plan sponsor, related to utilization of drug or drug spending under that health plan during the reporting period; the total net spending on prescription drugs by the health plan during the reporting period; and amounts paid directly or indirectly in rebates, fees, or any other type of remuneration to brokers, consultants, advisors, or any other individual or firm who referred the group health plan's business to the pharmacy benefit manager.
Entities providing pharmacy benefits management services on behalf of a group health plan shall provide information under paragraph
(1)in a manner consistent with the privacy, security, and breach notification regulations promulgated under section 264(c) of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, and shall restrict the use and disclosure of such information according to such privacy regulations. A group health plan receiving a report under paragraph
(1)may disclose such information only to business associates of such plan as defined in section 160.103 of title 45, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations). Nothing in this section prevents an entity providing pharmacy benefits management services on behalf of a group health plan from placing reasonable restrictions on the public disclosure of the information contained in a report described in paragraph (1), except that such entity may not restrict disclosure of such report to the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Labor, or the Department of the Treasury. The Secretary shall define through rulemaking a limited form of the report under paragraph
(1)required of plan sponsors who are drug manufacturers, drug wholesalers, or other direct participants in the drug supply chain, in order to prevent anti-competitive behavior. An entity providing pharmacy benefits management services on behalf of a group health plan shall submit to the Comptroller General of the United States each of the first 4 reports submitted to a plan sponsor under paragraph
(1)with respect to such plan, and other such reports as requested, in accordance with the privacy requirements under paragraph
(2)and the disclosure and redisclosure standards under paragraph (3), and such other information that the Comptroller General determines necessary to carry out the study under section 30606(b) of an Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of S. Con. Res. 14. The Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall enforce this section. An entity providing pharmacy benefit management services that violates subsection
(a)or fails to provide information required under subsection (b), or a drug manufacturer that fails to provide information under subsection (b)(1)(A) in a timely manner, shall be subject to a civil monetary penalty in the amount of $10,000 for each day during which such violation continues or such information is not disclosed or reported. An entity providing pharmacy benefit management services, or drug manufacturer that knowingly provides false information under this section shall be subject to a civil money penalty in an amount not to exceed $100,000 for each item of false information. Such civil money penalty shall be in addition to other penalties as may be prescribed by law. The provisions of section 1128A of the Social Security Act, other than subsection
(a)and
(b)and the first sentence of subsection (c)(1) of such section shall apply to civil monetary penalties under this subsection in the same manner as such provisions apply to a penalty or proceeding under section 1128A of the Social Security Act. The Secretary may waive penalties under paragraph (2), or extend the period of time for compliance with a requirement of this section, for an entity in violation of this section that has made a good-faith effort to comply with this section. Nothing in this section shall be construed to permit a group health plan or other entity to restrict disclosure to, or otherwise limit the access of, the Department of the Treasury to a report described in subsection (b)(1) or information related to compliance with subsection
(a)by such plan or entity. In this section, the term wholesale acquisition cost has the meaning given such term in section 1847A(c)(6)(B) of the Social Security Act. . The table of sections for subchapter B of chapter 100 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended by the preceding provisions of this Act, is further amended by adding at the end the following new item: Sec. 9827. Oversight of pharmacy benefit manager services. .