MultiState Associates MultiState Associates

State Health Policy Organizations Shaping Healthcare Model Legislation in 2026

Healthcare policy groups including FARB, NAIC, NAMD, NASHP, and NCOIL serve as platforms for state policymakers to collaborate and shape emerging trends. In 2025, multiple organizations adopted model legislation on facility fees and site-neutral payments, with NCOIL passing its Prior Authorization Reform Model Act in November. Groups are now focusing on the Rural Health Transformation Program and 340B oversight for 2026.

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MultiState Associates MultiState Associates

Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) Legislation Tackled Ownership Restrictions, Transparency, and More in 2025

States enacted significant pharmacy benefit manager reforms in 2025, with Arkansas implementing the nation's first PBM-pharmacy ownership ban despite facing legal challenges. Massachusetts passed comprehensive licensing requirements, while Colorado and California adopted "delinking" laws prohibiting PBM compensation tied to drug prices. Utah mandated rebate pass-through mechanisms. These diverse approaches reflect growing bipartisan momentum toward curbing PBM practices affecting independent pharmacies and drug pricing transparency.

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Lisa Kimbrough Lisa Kimbrough

State PBM Reform: How States Are Trying to Control Pharmaceutical Spending

During the 2024 state legislative sessions, 33 bills were enacted in 20 states related to the regulation of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). States used a variety of tactics, including spread pricing prohibitions, 340B pharmacies, patient steering and affiliated pharmacies, and mandates for increased reporting of PBM activities.

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