Yesterday, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) signed into law a groundbreaking bill, H.B. 1150, to prohibit state permits to pharmacies owned by pharmacy benefit managers effective Jan. 1, 2026. In a statement, NCPA said prohibiting PBM ownership of pharmacies will help put an end to anticompetitive tactics like patient steering, below-cost reimbursements, and punitive audit practices, all while promoting Arkansans' access to quality pharmacy care.
Congratulations to the Arkansas Pharmacists Association on this innovative legislative win. NCPA supported the APA's leadership on H.B. 1150 as it moved through the legislative process.
The bill had significant support in both chambers of the state's legislature. Similar legislation has also been introduced in Congress and other state legislatures since the Arkansas bill was introduced.
"Time and time again, PBMs have proven themselves to be resistant to transparency and reform," said Anne Cassity, NCPA's senior vice president of government affairs, in a statement.
"H.B. 1150 is a structural change that gets to the heart of the problem—the conflicts of interest inherent in vertical integration that PBMs have been manipulating to the detriment of patients, taxpayers, and pharmacies. We applaud H.B. 1150 and are eager to see its provisions implemented in Arkansas and, ideally, throughout the country," she said.
