Healthcare Bills Approved in WI, PBM Regulations Passed in IA & More

WI Assembly Passes Multiple Healthcare Bills

Wisconsin’s Assembly passed multiple healthcare-related bills with broad bipartisan support. One (AB 43) would allow pharmacists to prescribe birth control to those 18 and older. It now moves to the Senate. Another measure approved by the Assembly (SB 4) would exempt direct primary care, where patients pay monthly or annual fees to access primary care services, from the state’s insurance laws. Passed by the Senate in February, it now goes to Gov. Tony Evers (D). The Assembly also approved SB 14, which would require hospitals to obtain written consent from patients before performing pelvic examinations on them while they are unconscious for educational purposes. It now goes to the governor’s desk as well. (WISCONSIN EXAMINER, LEXISNEXIS STATE NET)

IA Lawmakers Pass Bill Regulating PBMs

Iowa’s legislature passed a bill (SF 383) that would impose new restrictions on pharmacy benefit managers. If signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) the measure would prohibit PBMs from using financial incentives or other strategies to encourage customers to use specific pharmacies. PBMs would also be required to reimburse pharmacies at a drug’s national average acquisition cost. (IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH, LEXISNEXIS STATE NET)

CA Gov Proposes Ending Medicaid Coverage for Weight Loss Drugs

As part of his plan to address a projected $12 billion budget deficit, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) proposed ending coverage of popular weight loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy under Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program, on Jan. 1, 2026. According to the governor’s office, that change would save the state $85 million in the upcoming 2025-26 fiscal year and as much as $680 million by the 2028-29 fiscal year. (CALMATTERS)

—Compiled by SNCJ Managing Editor KOREY CLARK

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