NACDS is applauding today the enactment of Oregon House Bill (HB) 4149. The measure, which was signed into law by Governor Tina Kotek (D), will help reduce prescription drug costs and preserve Oregonians’ vital access to pharmacy care by holding pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) accountable.
Of note, HB 4149 will provide the state with enforcement authority, requiring PBMs to be licensed by the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services beginning January 1, 2025.
NACDS President and CEO Steven C. Anderson said: “Enactment of HB 4149 serves as a major victory for patients and for the Oregon pharmacies of all sizes on which they rely. NACDS is appreciative of the leadership of Gov. Tina Kotek, of State Representatives Nancy Nathanson (D), Christine Goodwin (R), Rob Nosse (D), Ed Diehl (R), of State Senators Mark Meek (D) and Deb Patterson (D), and of the Oregon State Pharmacy Association. Importantly, this PBM reform bill passed with overwhelming majorities in the Oregon House and the Senate — further underscoring the bipartisan nature of the issue.
“Oregonians rely on their neighborhood pharmacies for an array of healthcare services — including health screenings, disease management, vaccinations, testing services, patient counseling, essential medications, and more. Critically, HB 4149 includes important reforms that will help confront PBM middlemen’s inflationary effects on drug prices and their tactics that force pharmacies to sell medications below cost, and that force pharmacies to close their doors – ultimately jeopardizing continuity of care.”
Pharmacies remain vital access points to needed care — existing within five miles of 90 percent of Americans. A recent poll commissioned by NACDS and conducted by Morning Consult found that 84% of adults in Oregon say it is very or somewhat easy to access pharmacies, ranking their accessibility the highest among healthcare destinations tested.
NACDS continues to work at the federal and state levels to confront PBM practices that force patients and others to pay more for their medicines, that limit patients’ access to their pharmacist, that restrict patients’ access to the medicines right for them, and that jeopardize the pharmacies on which patients rely.
Additionally, NACDS’ work in an array of states has shown that PBM reform is far from done when a law is enacted. NACDS remains committed to supporting leaders who stand up for patients, pharmacies, employers, taxpayers, communities, and the entire state by enacting, implementing, enforcing, and defending PBM reform laws.
