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Oklahoma Legislature· SB 161Placed on General Order

An act relating to pharmacy benefits management, the official text

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1                    STATE OF OKLAHOMA

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2                 1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)

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3 SENATE BILL 161                    By: Hicks
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6                    AS INTRODUCED

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7   An Act relating to pharmacy benefits management;

7   amending 36 O.S. 2021, Section 6962, as last amended

8   by Section 2, Chapter 306, O.S.L. 2024 (36 O.S. Supp.

8   2024, Section 6962), which relates to pharmacy

9   benefits manager compliance; requiring pharmacy

9   benefits manager to maintain certain fiduciary duty;

10  updating statutory language; and providing an

10  effective date.

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13 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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14  SECTION 1.     AMENDATORY        36 O.S. 2021, Section 6962, as

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15 last amended by Section 2, Chapter 306, O.S.L. 2024 (36 O.S. Supp.
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16 2024, Section 6962), is amended to read as follows:
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17  Section 6962. A. The Attorney General shall review and approve

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18 retail pharmacy network access for all pharmacy benefits managers
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19 (PBMs) to ensure compliance with Section 6961 of this title.
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20  B. A PBM, or an agent of a PBM, shall not:

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21  1. Cause or knowingly permit the use of advertisement,

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22 promotion, solicitation, representation, proposal or offer that is
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23 untrue, deceptive or misleading;
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    Req. No. 674                                              Page 1
1   2. Charge a pharmacist or pharmacy a fee related to the

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2 adjudication of a claim including without limitation a fee for:
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3   a. the submission of a claim,

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4   b. enrollment or participation in a retail pharmacy

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5                 network, or

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6   c. the development or management of claims processing

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7                 services or claims payment services related to

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8                 participation in a retail pharmacy network;

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9   3. Reimburse a pharmacy or pharmacist in the state an amount

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10 less than the amount that the PBM reimburses a pharmacy owned by or
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11 under common ownership with a PBM for providing the same covered
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12 services. The reimbursement amount paid to the pharmacy shall be
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13 equal to the reimbursement amount calculated on a per-unit basis
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14 using the same generic product identifier or generic code number
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15 paid to the PBM-owned or PBM-affiliated pharmacy;
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16  4. Deny a provider the opportunity to participate in any

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17 pharmacy network at preferred participation status if the provider
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18 is willing to accept the terms and conditions that the PBM has
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19 established for other providers as a condition of preferred network
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20 participation status;
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21  5. Deny, limit or terminate a provider's contract based on

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22 employment status of any employee who has an active license to
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23 dispense, despite probation status, with the State Board of
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24 Pharmacy;
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    Req. No. 674                                                Page 2
1   6. Retroactively deny or reduce reimbursement for a covered

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2 service claim after returning a paid claim response as part of the
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3 adjudication of the claim, unless:
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4   a. the original claim was submitted fraudulently, or

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5   b. to correct errors identified in an audit, so long as

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6                 the audit was conducted in compliance with Sections

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7                 356.2 and 356.3 of Title 59 of the Oklahoma Statutes;

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8   7. Fail to make any payment due to a pharmacy or pharmacist for

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9 covered services properly rendered in the event a PBM terminates a
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10 provider from a pharmacy benefits manager network;
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11  8. Conduct or practice spread pricing, as defined in Section

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12 6960 of this title, in this state; or
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13  9. Charge a pharmacist or pharmacy a fee related to

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14 participation in a retail pharmacy network including, but not
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15 limited to, the following:
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16  a. an application fee,

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17  b. an enrollment or participation fee,

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18  c. a credentialing or re-credentialing fee,

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19  d. a change of ownership fee, or

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20  e. a fee for the development or management of claims

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21                processing services or claims payment services.

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22  C. The prohibitions under this section shall apply to contracts

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23 between pharmacy benefits managers and providers for participation
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24 in retail pharmacy networks.
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    Req. No. 674                                         Page 3
1   1. A PBM contract shall:

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2   a. not restrict, directly or indirectly, any pharmacy

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3                 that dispenses a prescription drug from informing, or

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4                 penalize such pharmacy for informing, an individual of

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5                 any differential between the individual's out-of-

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6                 pocket cost or coverage with respect to acquisition of

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7                 the drug and the amount an individual would pay to

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8                 purchase the drug directly, and

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9   b. ensure that any entity that provides pharmacy benefits

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10                management services under a contract with any such

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11                health plan or health insurance coverage does not,

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12                with respect to such plan or coverage, restrict,

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13                directly or indirectly, a pharmacy that dispenses a

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14                prescription drug from informing, or penalize such

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15                pharmacy for informing, a covered individual of any

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16                differential between the individual's out-of-pocket

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17                cost under the plan or coverage with respect to

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18                acquisition of the drug and the amount an individual

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19                would pay for acquisition of the drug without using

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20                any health plan or health insurance coverage.

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21  2. A pharmacy benefits manager's contract with a provider shall

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22 not prohibit, restrict, or limit disclosure of information or
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23 documents to the Attorney General, law enforcement or state and
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24 federal governmental officials investigating or examining a
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    Req. No. 674                                                 Page 4
1 complaint or conducting a review of a pharmacy benefits manager's
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2 compliance with the requirements under the Patient's Right to
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3 Pharmacy Choice Act, the Pharmacy Audit Integrity Act, and Sections
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4 357 through 360 of Title 59 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
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5   D. A pharmacy benefits manager shall:

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6   1. Establish and maintain an electronic claim inquiry

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7 processing system using the National Council for Prescription Drug
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8 Programs' Programs's current standards to communicate information to
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9 pharmacies submitting claim inquiries;
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10  2. Fully disclose to insurers, self-funded employers, unions or

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11 other PBM clients the existence of the respective aggregate
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12 prescription drug discounts, rebates received from drug
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13 manufacturers and pharmacy audit recoupments;
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14  3. Provide the Attorney General, insurers, self-funded employer

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15 plans and unions unrestricted audit rights of and access to the
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16 respective PBM pharmaceutical manufacturer and provider contracts,
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17 plan utilization data, plan pricing data, pharmacy utilization data
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18 and pharmacy pricing data;
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19  4. Maintain, for no less than three (3) years, documentation of

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20 all network development activities including, but not limited to,
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21 contract negotiations and any denials to providers to join networks.
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22 This documentation shall be made available to the Attorney General
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23 upon request; and
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    Req. No. 674                                                Page 5
1   5. Report to the Attorney General, on a quarterly basis for

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2 each health insurer payor, on the following information:
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3            a. the aggregate amount of rebates received by the PBM,

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4            b. the aggregate amount of rebates distributed to the

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5                 appropriate health insurer payor,

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6            c. the aggregate amount of rebates passed on to the

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7                 enrollees of each health insurer payor at the point of

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8                 sale that reduced the applicable deductible,

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9                 copayment, coinsure or other cost sharing amount of

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10                the enrollee,

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11           d. the individual and aggregate amount paid by the health

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12                insurer payor to the PBM for pharmacy services

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13                itemized by pharmacy, drug product and service

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14                provided, and

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15           e. the individual and aggregate amount a PBM paid a

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16                provider for pharmacy services itemized by pharmacy,

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17                drug product and service provided; and

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18  6. Maintain a fiduciary duty to insurers and insureds served by

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19 the PBM.
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20  E. Nothing in the Patient's Right to Pharmacy Choice Act shall

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21 prohibit the Attorney General from requesting and obtaining detailed
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22 data, including raw data, in response to the information provided by
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23 a PBM in the quarterly reports required by this section. The
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    Req. No. 674                                                Page 6
1 Attorney General may alter the frequency of the reports required by
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2 this section at his or her sole discretion.
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3   F. The Attorney General may promulgate rules to implement the

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4 provisions of the Patient's Right to Pharmacy Choice Act, the
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5 Pharmacy Audit Integrity Act, and Sections 357 through 360 of Title
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6 59 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
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7   SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2025.

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9   60-1-674      CAD           12/30/2024 11:52:39 AM

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    Req. No. 674                                        Page 7
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