Potential Big Impact If Firms That Own PBMs Have To Break Up

Lawmakers reintroduced the Patients Before Monopolies Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at PBM-owned healthcare companies.

The measure would force firms that own pharmacy benefit managers to stop owning retail pharmacies, giving them one year to divest.

That makes it a bigger threat than current PBM transparency and rebate rules because it would break up vertically integrated companies.

The proposal could hit major players like Cigna, CVS Health and UnitedHealth, especially their specialty pharmacy businesses.