Washington, D.C. - Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a partial appropriations package for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY 26), including portions of Congresswoman Deborah Ross' (NC-02) bipartisan PBM Reform Act. This legislation will protect patients and pharmacies from the harmful and anticompetitive business practices of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).

"For too long, PBMs have acted as unregulated middlemen, driving up the prices of life-saving medications for patients," said Congresswoman Ross. "Nobody should have to choose between paying for necessary prescriptions and putting food on the table. At a time when health care costs continue to skyrocket, our bipartisan PBM Reform Act will reign in abusive PBM practices and take real steps to lower prescription drug prices. I urge the Senate to act quickly to pass this urgently-needed legislation."

Portions of the PBM Reform Act passed as part of this appropriations package include:

• Establish new requirements for PBMs under Medicare Part D, including a policy to delink PBM compensation from the cost of medications and increase transparency.
• Promote transparency for both employers and patients in their prescription drug plans, with semi-annual reporting on drug spending, rebates, and formulary determinations.
• Require Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to define and enforce "reasonable and relevant" contract terms in Medicare Part D pharmacy contracts and enforce oversight on reported violations.

In July, Congresswoman Ross introduced the PBM Reform Act along with 11 bipartisan members of Congress, including Representatives Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (R-GA), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Greg Murphy (R-NC), Jodey Arrington (R-TX), Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX), Rick Allen (R-GA), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), John Rose (R-TN), Derek Tran (D-CA), and Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY).

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Permalink: https://ross.house.gov/2026/1/house-passes-congresswoman-ross-bill-to-combat-harmful-pbm-practices-lower-prescription-drug-prices