In a reversal, Arkansas legislators in a split vote Friday approved a proposed rule they rejected a day earlier that could require pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to include dispensing fees in their reimbursements to pharmacies for prescription drugs.
The Arkansas Legislative Council’s decision capped off hours of debate in committees this week over the measure, which is intended to replace an emergency rule that expires next month.
The newly approved rule allows the state’s insurance commissioner to determine the amount PBMs should add to pharmacists’ reimbursements. PBMs are companies that negotiate prescription benefits among drug manufacturers, distributors, pharmacies and health insurance providers…