The Michigan state house recently passed Michigan House Bill 4348, 97-10. This bill is now scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Health Policy and Human Services Committee this Thursday, June 17. We need your help. Please contact the members of the Senate Committee on Health Policy and Human Services and urge them to support this legislation.

Earlier this month, Colorado legislators passed House Bill 21-1275. This modified the state Medicaid program to include payments to pharmacists for clinical services under the medical benefit. This requires Colorado Medicaid plans to cover medically necessary services provided by a pharmacist under certain circumstances in compliance with state scope of practice laws.

A recent opinion piece published in the Waukesha Freeman and written by pharmacist and former co-owner of Tobin Drug, Dave Schultz, did an excellent job of highlighting the issues pharmacists continue to face as the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be nearing its end.

The Ohio Pharmacists Association, in cooperation with the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants, has been successful in getting a total of $50 million in Ohio's 2022-2023 state budget to be distributed to community pharmacies as an enhanced Medicaid dispensing fee for managed care. The budget currently contains $15 million from the state, along with an additional $35 million of federal matching money. It is critical to contact your Ohio Senator and State Representative, and thank them for putting this essential funding into the budget.

Despite the delay in the Medicaid prescription carve out, we still have an opportunity to make great strides in protecting independent pharmacy in New York. Bills S6603 and A7598 in the New York State Senate and Assembly would require Medicaid managed care plans to reimburse retail pharmacies in an amount equal to the fee-for-service rate, allow retail pharmacies the opportunity to participate in another provider's network under the medical assistance program and prohibit PBMs from limiting an individual's option to receive medications from non-mail order pharmacies.

Several important PBM reforms are before the Texas State Senate. Time is of the essence! Ask your state senator to vote yes on Senate Bill 2195. After testimony by Texas Pharmacy Association members on Wednesday, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee voted unanimously to advance this PBM reform bill.