Photo: bryanregan / iStock / Getty Images
(Lincoln, NE) -- A bill intended to save Nebraska pharmacies from losing money and going out of business is expected to pass in the Nebraska Legislature.
"It will be illegal for a PBM to reimburse the pharmacy less than what the pharmacy paid for it. A lot of the time the pharmacy is paying 70 dollars for the drug and getting reimbursed 50 dollars for the drug, yet the plan is paying 100. Small pharmacies in greater Nebraska close left and right because of this practice," said Nebraska State Senator Tony Sorrentino.
The bill will clamp down on middlemen called pharmacy benefit managers. He tells KFAB Radio News that PBMs too often shortchange pharmacies.
Sorrentino expects the bill to pass before the session ends, maybe as soon as the end of this week.
"The only thing left is final reading," Sorrentino said. "I would be surprised if even one senator opposes it."
Nebraska has lost 14 percent of its pharmacies since 2020, not just in rural areas. Omaha and Lincoln have also lost pharmacies.