ATLANTA – State Representative David Knight (R-Griffin), Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education, today announced the final passage of House Bill 233 on Thursday, March 28. HB 233, or the “Pharmacy Anti-Steering and Transparency Act,” restricts pharmacies in Georgia from engaging in certain self-dealing practices with their pharmacy benefits manager (PBM) and insurer affiliates.
“I am proud to announce that House Bill 233 passed with a unanimous vote on the Senate floor on Thursday,” said Rep. Knight. “What a great voice of support for patients, pharmacists and doctors that are stuck in a broken healthcare system. We have cleared the path by reducing self-serving PBM practices that increase costs and stand in the way of effective care.”
“This bill is a great step in the right direction for healthcare reform in Georgia,” continued Chairman Knight. “We must continue to demand transparency and eliminate practices that take advantage of Georgia citizens. I look forward to leading this bill into Georgia law and appreciate all of those who leant their voices to this effort.”
House Bill 233 would improve Georgia’s current policies regarding pharmacies owned by or affiliated with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and health insurance companies. HB 233 would protect patients and prescribers by regulating pharmacies affiliated with PBMs and health insurers who utilize these relationships to target patients via steering and data mining. This bill would prohibit pharmacies from sharing information regarding a patient’s prescriptions with an affiliate (PBMs or health insurance providers) for any commercial purpose. This House measure would also place restrictions on pharmacies receiving and billing for self-dealing referrals from their affiliates. Finally, HB 233 would require pharmacies that have affiliates to disclose those affiliates annually to the Georgia Board of Pharmacy. If signed into law, HB 233 would become effective on January 1, 2020.
For more information on HB 233, please click here.
Representative David Knight represents the citizens of District 130, which includes portions of Henry, Lamar and Spalding counties. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2004 and currently serves as Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education. He also serves on the Banks and Banking, Higher Education, Rules, Small Business Development and Ways and Means committees.
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