Free subscription to the Capitol Journal keeps you current on legislative and regulatory news.
PA Lawmakers Pass Bill Regulating PBMs The Pennsylvania legislature passed a bill ( HB 1993 ) aimed at increasing oversight of pharmacy benefit managers. If signed by Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), the measure...
In a sign of the times, states have begun pursuing bills that require disclosure of the use of artificial intelligence. In March, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) signed SB 149 , making the state the first...
NY Enacts Social Media Protections for Minors New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) signed first-in-the-nation legislation ( SB 7694 ) prohibiting social media platforms from providing algorithmic feeds to...
CA to Make Changes to Labor Law Costing Employers Billions Business and labor groups in California have agreed on changes to the Private Attorney’s General Act, a landmark state law that has allowed...
PBMs Driving Up Prescription Drug Prices The three largest pharmacy benefit managers—CVS Health, Cigna and UnitedHealth Group—often “steer patients toward pricier drugs, charge steep...
California’s Health Care Affordability Board voted to limit annual price increases from doctors, hospitals and health insurers to 3%, about 2.4% below the annual rate of those increases over the past twenty years. The cap would be phased in over five years, beginning at 3.5% next year. But members of the board said the cap probably won’t be enforced until the end of the decade.
The 3% limit was based on the average annual increase in median household income in California from 2002 to 2022. The state’s health care industry has been supportive of the idea of a statewide cost target but said 3% is too low. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
The Louisiana House Committee on Civil Law and Procedure approved a bill (HB 833) intended to ensure continued access to in vitro fertility treatment in the state. The measure was prompted by the Alabama Supreme Court ruling in February temporarily halting in vitro fertilization in that state and prompting lawmakers there to hastily pass legislation restarting it (SB 159). (LOUISIANA ILLUMINATOR, ALABAMA REFLECTOR, LEXISNEXIS STATE NET)
Michigan lawmakers are considering a pair of bills aimed at improving access to hormonal birth control. HB 5436 would allow pharmacists to prescribe such contraceptives and HB 5435 would require health insurers to cover those prescriptions. The legislation is supported by the Michigan Pharmacists Association, which helped the measures’ authors, Rep. Kara Hope (D) and Stephanie Young (D) draft the proposals. (CBS NEWS, MICHIGAN PHARMACISTS ASSOCIATION, LEXISNEXIS STATE NET)
—Compiled by SNCJ Managing Editor KOREY CLARK
Visit our webpage to connect with a LexisNexis® State Net® representative and learn how the State Net legislative and regulatory tracking service can help you identify, track, analyze and report on relevant legislative and regulatory developments.