Current through Pa Acts 2024-53, 2024-56 through 2024-92
Section 4526 - [Effective 11/14/2024] Patient steering(a)Prohibitions.--A health benefit plan, health insurer or PBM contracting with a health benefit plan or health insurer may not:(1) Require a covered individual, as a condition of payment or reimbursement, to purchase pharmacist services, including, but not limited to, prescription drugs, exclusively through a mail-order pharmacy or PBM retail pharmacy affiliate.(2) Prohibit or limit a covered individual from selecting an in-network pharmacy or in-network pharmacist of the covered individual's choice if that pharmacy or pharmacist meets and agrees to the terms and conditions, including reimbursements, in the PBM's contract.(3) Require a covered individual to use a PBM-affiliated retail pharmacy.(4) Transfer a covered individual's prescriptions from an in-network pharmacy to another pharmacy unless requested by the covered individual.(5) Use financial incentives, including, but not limited to, adjustments in cost sharing obligations of a covered individual, to the exclusive benefit of a PBM-affiliated retail pharmacy.(6) Except as provided in subsection (b), auto-enroll a covered individual in mail-order pharmacy services.(b) Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be construed:(1) To prevent a PBM, health benefit plan or health insurer from requiring a covered individual to use an approved specialty pharmacy operating in the PBM's network.(2) To prevent a health benefit plan, health insurer or PBM contracting with a health benefit plan or health insurer, from auto-enrolling a covered individual in mail-order services for a maintenance medication, provided that:(i) A covered individual may not be auto-enrolled for the first 90 days of a new maintenance medication; and(ii) A covered individual shall have the ability to opt out of mail-order pharmacy services at any time.Added by P.L. (number not assigned at time of publication) 2024 No. 77,§ 6, eff. 11/14/2024.