MADISON, Wis. – Lawmakers in the State Assembly got to work Tuesday on several health-related bills, which won overwhelming approval.

The floor period began with new requirements for Pharmacy Benefit Managers, commonly known as PBMs, who negotiate prices with drug makers on behalf of insurers.

“There are three PBMs that control 80% of the prescription drug market, which is about $650 billion a year,” State Rep. Michael Schraa (R-Oshkosh), who authored the bill, said.

Schraa's bill requires PBMs to register with the state and file reports on rebates from drugmakers, including whether savings were passed on to consumers.
 

“When we have prescription drugs that cost this much, I think it's fair to say we are all very concerned about those costs,” State Rep. Barbara Dittrich (R-Oconomowoc) said during a floor speech Tuesday. “Every Wisconsinite can be grateful for having those costs come down by controlling the manipulation that goes on behind the scenes with Pharmacy Benefit Managers and our prescription drugs.”

Lawmakers unanimously passed the legislation sending it to Gov. Tony Evers for his consideration.Reacting to the passage of the bill, Rob Gundermann, chair of the Wisconsin Pharmacy Patient Protection Coalition (WPPPC) and president and CEO of the Coalition of Wisconsin Aging and Health Groups believes the bipartisan effort will “shine a bright light of transparency” on a system that has unfairly profited off of patients.

“For too long, Wisconsin has needed to fix Wisconsin’s PBM problem and now, thanks to bill sponsors on both sides of the aisle in the Assembly and Senate, along with the Governor’s commitment to protecting patients from the rising costs of prescription drugs, PBMs will be under appropriate state regulation that ensures they are operating properly,” Gundermann said in a statement.
 

The Assembly also unanimously passed a bill that guarantees people with preexisting health conditions can't be denied insurance coverage.

“I'm glad this bill for preexisting conditions is before us today,” State Rep. Dianne Hesselbein (D-Madison) said briefly before the bill was passed.

Protecting those with preexisting conditions is already a part of the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA), but the bill makes the protection a part of state law in case the ACA is ever repealed or struck down by courts.
 

State Rep. Christine Sinicki (D-Milwaukee), who shared a personal story on the floor,  said without such protections her sister wouldn't be alive.

“Her medications for one week, for one week, are $50,000,” Sinicki said.

The bill has yet to pass out of committee in the Senate.

Lawmakers also passed a bill Tuesday allowing dentists to administer the COVID-19 vaccine, as well as flu shots.