FL Pharmacy Groups Fight PBMs with HB 1043
Florida pharmacy advocacy group Small Business Pharmacies Aligned for Reform (SPAR) and national advocacy group Pharmacists United for Truth and Transparency (PUTT) counseled with Republican and Democrat state representatives to advocate for HB 1043’s passage. HB 1043, titled, “Medicaid Pharmacy Benefit Savings” would require: “AHCA to select single pharmacy benefit administrator through competitive procurement process by specified date; provides contract requirements; requires agency to calculate amount equal to specified percentage of managed care organization’s net underwriting gain for certain contract year & reduce organization’s contract term payment by such amount.” The sponsor of the bill, Rep. Randy Fine (D-53) claims that with this bill, “there will be losers”, however, “the taxpayer, the recipient, and the local pharmacy will benefit. The people we are here to fight for will benefit.” Dawn Butterfield, the founding member of SPAR, claims that, “We as independent pharmacy owners have been ringing in our state’s Medicaid program for more than three …