Bill seeks to provide more flexibility in choosing pharmacies for prescriptions, providers
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Del. H. Otto Wachsmann Jr. proposed a bill to a key committee that would allow Virginians to have more flexibility in choosing pharmacies for prescription drugs and providers of healthcare.
The bill, HB 1006, proposed on Jan. 10 to the Committee on Labor and Commerce, would stop pharmacies, health providers or insurers from requiring pharmaceutical patients to choose a specific provider. This would eliminate any fees or penalties for not choosing a provider related to a pharmacy, health provider, or insurer. These organizations would also be restricted from having a drug sent to a pharmacy chosen by the provider or disallowing a patient to receive the prescription at their residence.
His bill would also ban pharmacies, health providers, corporations, or insurers from creating any contract that would include any copayment, fee, or condition that is not equally opposed upon all people, any monetary penalty that would affect a person’s choice of pharmacy and any reduction in reimbursement for non-preferred providers.
Wachsmann Jr., R-Brunswick, graduated with a B.S. in pharmacy from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1986. He has worked as a staff pharmacist at Peoples Drug, a manager with A.H. Robins Company and director of experiential education at the Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy at Shenandoah University.
“Access to quality care is limited, providers lack necessary resources, prescription drug costs are too high,” Wachsmann posted on his website.
Freedom Virginia, an economy security advocacy organization, recorded data supporting Wachsmann's claims. The organization reported a 6.6% increase in spending on average, from $1400 to $1500, on prescription drugs from 2015 to 2020.
The increase in spending prompted the General Assembly to enact a law in the 2022 session which required insurance carriers, pharmacy benefit managers and pharmaceutical manufacturers to report on specific prescription drug pricing information annually.
Virginians For Affordable Medicine a collection of doctors, small business owners and grassroots organizations fighting for change in the affordability of medicine in Virginia said that the cost of prescription medications is getting more expensive, reporting a 5.5% increase on 860 drugs in 2020. The organization said that limiting the power of pharmaceutical companies on Virginia lawmakers would help working-class and middle-class Americans.
Freedom Virginia and Virginians for Affordable Medicine both are neutral on HB 1006.
The bill has been reassigned to the House and Commerce Subcommittee: Subcommittee #1 and is awaiting a hearing.
