SB316

Existing law requires a pharmacy benefit manager, which is an entity that manages a pharmacy benefits plan, to obtain a certificate of registration as an insurance administrator from the Commissioner of Insurance and comply with the requirements that apply to insurance administrators generally. (NRS 683A.025, 683A.08522-683A.0893) Existing law additionally imposes certain requirements specifically regulating the operation of pharmacy benefit managers. (NRS 683A.171-683A.179) Existing law defines “pharmacy benefits plan” to refer to insurance coverage of prescription drugs. (NRS 683A.175) Section 21 of this bill expands the scope of that definition to also refer to insurance coverage of pharmacist services. Section 21 thereby expands the scope of provisions governing pharmacy benefit managers to also apply to entities that manage such coverage. Sections 3-14 of this bill define certain other terms relevant to pharmacy benefit managers, and section 20 of this bill establishes the applicability of those definitions. Section 15 of this bill prohibits a pharmacy benefit manager that manages a pharmacy benefits plan which provides coverage through a network from requiring a person to use a pharmacy affiliated with the pharmacy benefit manager if there are other, nonaffiliated pharmacies in the network. Section 15 additionally prohibits a pharmacy benefit manager from engaging in certain practices which are intended to steer or have the effect of steering a person towards an affilia