June 3, 2025 - NCPA
In a stunning four-day flurry at the end of legislative session, the Illinois General Assembly passed H.B. 1697, the Prescription Drug Affordability Act, a bill with sweeping provisions meant to rein in PBMs and end their abusive conduct. The bill is comprehensive. It eliminates spread pricing, ends PBM steering practices, and mandates 100 percent rebate pass-through. It also institutes an oversight structure for PBMs that requires annual transparency reports, plan audits, and market conduct examinations. H.B. 1697 also allocates tens of millions of dollars a year to sustain access to pharmacies, including critical access pharmacies, across communities in both rural and urban areas. Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) was supportive of PBM reform in his State of the State address earlier this year.
Congratulations to the Illinois Pharmacists Association for this huge win!