Pharmacist and pharmacy organizations have expressed strong support for H.R. 7148, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026, which includes provisions aimed at reforming pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). The National Community Pharmacists Association, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, FMI – The Food Industry Association, the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy, the National Grocers Association, and the American Pharmacists Association released a joint statement endorsing the bill.
“Congressional leaders and appropriators of both parties have included some long overdue and urgently needed PBM reforms as part of the final four spending bills for FY2026. These reforms are of critical importance to American patients and their pharmacists and pharmacies. Medicare recipients should be able to access the care and prescriptions they need at their chosen pharmacy without PBMs and plan sponsors getting in the way. We are heartened to see that many of the needed reforms have been attached to the latest spending bill.
“Ahead of an expected vote late this week, we announce that each of our organizations strongly endorse this ‘minibus’ which includes important PBM reforms to Medicare plans, and urge members of Congress to vote ‘yes.’
“PBMs that inflate Americans’ prescription drug costs, force pharmacy closures, and block access to Americans’ pharmacists and pharmacies of choice must be stopped. The work done in this Congress and the last has led to this moment, and pharmacies appreciate the work that pharmacy champions like Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), Sens. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Congress as a whole, have done to get real PBM reforms to this point. This would be the first major PBM reform in Medicare Part D to pass in nearly 20 years, and as such, we reiterate that now is the time to pass these reforms.”
The legislation would require the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to set standards for what constitutes “reasonable and relevant” contract terms between Medicare Part D plans and pharmacies. This includes providing details on reimbursement rates and dispensing fees. Pharmacies would also gain an appeals process if contract terms do not meet those standards. CMS would have enforcement authority through monetary penalties, with $188 million allocated for implementing these measures.
Additionally, CMS would track payment trends related to pharmacies' participation in PBM networks while identifying essential retail pharmacies within those networks. Another provision aims to prohibit PBM compensation in Medicare Part D from being linked to a drug manufacturer’s list price—a step intended to lower drug costs for consumers and reduce taxpayer expenses.
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