FRANKFORT. Ky. (July 23, 2026)—Senate Majority Floor Leader Max Wise, R-Campbellsville, issued the following statement after the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform approved and reported favorably H.R. 6610, the Pharmacists Fight Back in Federal Employee Health Benefit Plans Act.
“Kentucky did not wait on Washington to take on PBMs. We led.
“Our Medicaid PBM reforms saved taxpayers $282 million. In 2024, we passed Senate Bill 188 to protect patient choice, support local pharmacies and bring greater accountability to the commercial market. I am still fighting to make sure every protection in that law is enforced as written.
“I am proud to see my friend Congressman Comer carry this fight forward in Washington. The bipartisan legislation he co-introduced would require fairer pharmacy reimbursement, stop PBMs from steering patients toward affiliated pharmacies and apply manufacturer rebates to reduce prescription drug costs for federal employees, retirees and their families.
“This matters because when a hometown pharmacy closes, patients lose more than a business. They lose convenient access to medication and a trusted health care provider who knows their community.
“The bill still must pass the full House and Senate, but clearing committee marks meaningful progress. Kentucky led at the state level. Congressman Comer is carrying that work forward at the federal level.”
BACKGROUND
Pharmacy benefit managers administer prescription drug benefits on behalf of health plans. Their decisions can affect which medications a plan covers, what patients pay, where they may fill prescriptions and how much pharmacies receive for dispensing them.
Wise has led Kentucky’s legislative efforts to reform the industry through two major measures.
In 2020, Wise sponsored Senate Bill 50, which replaced Kentucky Medicaid’s fragmented pharmacy benefit system with a single state pharmacy benefit manager and preferred drug list. The law strengthened state oversight and removed Medicaid managed care organizations from direct control of PBM contracts. A subsequent analysis presented by the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services found the commonwealth would have spent approximately $282.7 million more in managed Medicaid without the reforms.
Wise followed that work in 2024 with Senate Bill 188, extending key PBM protections into Kentucky’s commercial insurance market. The measure passed the Senate 35-1 and the House 97-0 before being signed into law. It established pharmacy-network standards, reimbursement protections, restrictions on patient steering and affiliated-pharmacy practices, a formal complaint process and enforcement authority for the Kentucky Department of Insurance.
After the Department of Insurance disputed whether portions of Senate Bill 188 could be enforced, Wise formally requested an opinion from Attorney General Russell Coleman. Opinion OAG 25-11 concluded that the law’s anti-steering provisions are likely enforceable under federal precedent. It also found that PBMs based outside Kentucky remain subject to Senate Bill 188 when their coverage affects Kentuckians. Wise has continued to press for full enforcement of the law.
H.R. 6610 would apply similar accountability principles to PBMs participating in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. The legislation would require fair pharmacy reimbursement, prohibit PBMs from steering patients toward affiliated pharmacies, direct manufacturer rebates toward reducing beneficiaries’ prescription costs and establish penalties for violations. Committee approval is not final passage. The measure must still clear the full House and Senate before it can be presented to the president.
Sen. Max Wise, R-Campbellsville, represents the 16th Senate District, including Adair, Allen, Metcalfe, Monroe, and Taylor Counties and eastern Warren County. Wise serves as Senate majority floor leader. He is a member of the Senate Committees on Education, and Economic Development, Tourism, and Labor. As part of Senate leadership, Wise also serves on the Legislative Research Commission, the Rules Committee, and the Committee on Committees.
(Dustin R. Isaacs – Office of Senate Majority Floor Leader Max Wise)