Taking the Pulse, A Health Care and Life Sciences Video Podcast | Episode 244: The Future of Independent Physician Practices with Ray Waldrup of The Leaders Rheum
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - Cost, Care and Captives: A Mid-Size Employer’s Guide to Benefit Trends
Taking the Pulse: A Health Care & Life Sciences Video Podcast | Episode 239: Understanding the 340B Pricing Program with Chuck Melendi of Disruptive Dialogue
Understanding Pharmacy Benefit Managers: The PBM Landscape Explained
EpiPen RICO Ruling Opens Door for Private AKS Enforcement
Part Two: The MFN Drug Pricing Rule and the Rebate Rule: Where Do We Go From Here?
Part One: Two new Medicare Drug Pricing Rules in One Day: What are the MFN and the Rebate Drug Pricing Rules?
Drug Pricing Initiatives During the Trump Presidency
In a significant legal development, a federal judge has temporarily blocked Arkansas from enforcing Act 624. Act 624 prohibits pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) from owning or operating pharmacies in the state, effectively...more
On June 25, 2025, Chief Judge Mitchell S. Goldberg of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania issued a ruling in the case of U.S. ex rel. Sarah Behnke v. CVS Caremark Corp. et al., ordering CVS...more
Our Drug Pricing and Market Access team tracks recent developments in healthcare reform, the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program, the 340B Program, Medicare, and state law....more
Welcome to the seventh issue of Health Headlines, a newsletter created by lawyers in our Healthcare practice. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed Senate File 383 into law, placing new restrictions on pharmacy benefit...more
News Briefs - Healthcare M&A Expected to Rebound, Post-Acute Care to See Most - Economic uncertainties may have put a damper on healthcare M&A during the first quarter of the year, but many still expect a rebound as 2025...more
As expected, the lawsuits have commenced following the enactment of the Arkansas legislation prohibiting pharmacy benefit managers (PBM’s) from owning or operating actual pharmacies within the state. Michigan has filed its...more
Indiana recently enacted significant new legislation that will impact how pharmacy benefit management services are provided in Indiana. Senate Bill 140 (SB 140), signed into law during the 2025 legislative session, imposes...more
On April 16, 2025, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed into law House Bill 1150, now Act 624 (the Act), making Arkansas the first state in the nation to prohibit pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) from acquiring or...more
How a common practice for healthcare payers can turn from negotiation tactic to anticompetitive collusion - What is a network rental agreement? Network rental agreements, also known as “network leasing” or “network...more
On April 16, 2025, Arkansas House Bill 1150 (the “Bill”) was signed by Governor Huckabee Sanders. The Bill will have substantial implications for pharmacy benefit managers (“PBMs”) and pharmacies across the country....more
The healthcare mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market began 2025 with a slower start than expected given the easing headwinds and building momentum at the end of last year, with the number of deals reported in Q1 lower than...more
Farm Bureau Health Plan - On Thursday, comprehensive legislation, sponsored by Representative David Faulkner, proposing the creation of a new type of "health plan" that would be exempt from most state and federal laws and...more
Pharmacy Legislation - This week, the House Insurance Committee gave a favorable report to legislation, sponsored by Senator Billy Beasley, concerning Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) and altering the mechanism by which...more
Pharmacy Legislation This week, the Senate passed legislation, sponsored by Senator Billy Beasley, concerning pharmaceutical benefit managers (PBMs) and altering the mechanism in which independent pharmacists are reimbursed....more
Introduction The Alabama Community Pharmacy Relief Act, Senate Bill 252, has successfully passed the Alabama Senate and is now advancing to the House for consideration. This legislation aims to regulate pharmacy benefits...more
On January 8, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healy signed into law “An Act Relative To Pharmaceutical Access, Costs And Transparency.” The Act will have a profound impact on all parties involved in setting and applying drug...more
On December 11, 2024, a bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that, if enacted, would have substantial implications for pharmacy benefit managers (“PBMs”) and pharmacies across the country. Titled the...more
News Briefs - Lawmakers Strike Deal to Extend Expiring Healthcare Programs - Lawmakers reached a deal to extend expiring healthcare programs, lobbyists close to the issue said. The package is more robust than lobbyists...more
On November 26, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) released the contract year 2026 proposed rule for the Medicare Advantage (“MA”) program, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program (“Part D”),...more
On November 27, 2024, the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) will be releasing new regulations governing pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). Beginning with legislation in 2021, New York has been active in...more
The New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) recently announced it has adopted Pharmacy Benefit Manager Market Conduct Regulations to promote patient access to prescription drugs and to protect independent...more
The pharmacy landscape has evolved considerably over the past year, shining a spotlight on pharmacy “patient steering”, the practice of directing patients to certain preferred pharmacies. Though Quebec has long required that...more
On September 17, Express Scripts, Inc. (“Express Scripts”), one of the largest pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) in the United States, brought suit against the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) over its July 2024 interim...more
This article is part of a monthly column that considers the significance of recent Federal Trade Commission announcements about antitrust issues. In this installment, we discuss the FTC's complaint on PBMs' conduct around...more
Tensions between the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) continue to mount, bringing PBM practices and calls for reform back into the spotlight. On September 17, 2024, one of the largest PBMs,...more