S. 882 · 119th Congress
Patients Before Middlemen Act
Key: what the circles and colors mean
Each circle is a bill. The ring fills as it moves through Congress:
Under the number: the Yea · Nay count of its final (or latest) recorded vote. On a member's page, the small badge is how that member voted: Y Yea / Aye, N Nay / No, P Present, – Not voting.
Gold and violet are only for Yea and Nay; they never mean a party. A member's party is the letter on their photo.
Not yet voted on. This bill is still a proposal: it hasn't reached a floor vote, and its text can change in committee or on the floor before any vote.
R
BlackburnSponsor7 cosponsors · 4 D, 3 R
5 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.
This bill establishes certain standards and reporting requirements for prescription drug plan (PDP) sponsors, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), and pharmacies under the Medicare prescription drug benefit and Medicare Advantage.
What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in Senate · Mar 6, 2025
Patients Before Middlemen Act
This bill establishes certain standards and reporting requirements for prescription drug plan (PDP) sponsors, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), and pharmacies under the Medicare prescription drug benefit and Medicare Advantage.
Specifically, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) must develop reasonable and relevant standards for contracts between PDP sponsors and pharmacies. The CMS must seek input from interested stakeholders when developing these standards. PDP sponsors are subject to civil penalties for violating these standards; PBMs must reimburse PDP sponsors for civil penalties that result from their responsibilities.
The bill also requires the CMS to report periodically on essential retail pharmacies (i.e., pharmacies that serve as the only pharmacy within a certain radius) with respect to costs, contracts, and other specified information, particularly in relation to other types of pharmacies.
Additionally, PBMs may not receive any income other than flat, bona fide service fees. PBMs must turn over any excess amounts they receive to PDP sponsors; PDP sponsors must turn over these amounts to the CMS. In addition, PBMs must report to PDP sponsors and to the CMS an itemized list of prescription drugs that were dispensed during the previous year and related data about costs, claims, affiliated pharmacies, and other specified information. PDP sponsors may audit PBMs to ensure compliance with these requirements and must annually certify their compliance; PBMs are responsible for any associated civil penalties for violations.
The bill's changes generally apply beginning in 2028.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: Patients Before Middlemen Act
Latest action (Mar 6, 2025): Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Policy area: Health · Origin: Senate · Introduced: Mar 6, 2025
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
No recorded floor vote found.