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62W.06 PHARMACY BENEFIT MANAGER TRANSPARENCY.

Subdivision 1.Transparency to plan sponsors.

(a) Beginning in the second quarter after the effective date of a contract between a pharmacy benefit manager and a plan sponsor, the pharmacy benefit manager must disclose, upon the request of the plan sponsor, the following information with respect to prescription drug benefits specific to the plan sponsor:

(1) the aggregate wholesale acquisition costs from a drug manufacturer or wholesale drug distributor for each therapeutic category of prescription drugs;

(2) the aggregate wholesale acquisition costs from a drug manufacturer or wholesale drug distributor for each therapeutic category of prescription drugs available to the plan sponsor's enrollees;

(3) the aggregate amount of rebates received by the pharmacy benefit manager by therapeutic category of prescription drugs. The aggregate amount of rebates must include any utilization discounts the pharmacy benefit manager receives from a drug manufacturer or wholesale drug distributor;

(4) any other fees received from a drug manufacturer or wholesale drug distributor;

(5) whether the pharmacy benefit manager has a contract, agreement, or other arrangement with a drug manufacturer to exclusively dispense or provide a drug to a plan sponsor's enrollees, and the application of all consideration or economic benefits collected or received pursuant to the arrangement;

(6) prescription drug utilization information for the plan sponsor's enrollees;

(7) de-identified claims level information in electronic format that allows the plan sponsor to sort and analyze the following information for each claim:

(i) whether the claim required prior authorization;

(ii) the amount paid to the pharmacy for each prescription, net of the aggregate amount of fees or other assessments imposed on the pharmacy, including point-of-sale and retroactive charges;

(iii) any spread between the net amount paid to the pharmacy in item (ii) and the amount charged to the plan sponsor;

(iv) whether the pharmacy is, or is not, under common control or ownership with the pharmacy benefit manager;

(v) whether the pharmacy is, or is not, a preferred pharmacy under the plan;

(vi) whether the pharmacy is, or is not, a mail order pharmacy; and

(vii) whether enrollees are required by the plan to use the pharmacy;

(8) the aggregate amount of payments made by the pharmacy benefit manager to pharmacies owned or controlled by the pharmacy benefit manager on behalf of the sponsor's plan;

(9) the aggregate amount of payments made by the pharmacy benefit manager to pharmacies not owned or controlled by the pharmacy benefit manager on behalf of the sponsor's plan; and

(10) the aggregate amount of the fees imposed on, or collected from, network pharmacies or other assessments against network pharmacies, including point-of-sale fees and retroactive charges, and the application of those amounts collected pursuant to the contract with the plan sponsor.

(b) A pharmacy benefit manager may require a plan sponsor to agree to a nondisclosure agreement that specifies that the information reported under this section is proprietary information. The pharmacy benefit manager is not required to disclose the information to the plan sponsor until the plan sponsor has executed the nondisclosure agreement, if required by the pharmacy benefit manager.

Subd. 2.Transparency report to commissioner.

(a) Beginning June 1, 2020, and annually thereafter, each pharmacy benefit manager must submit to the commissioner a transparency report containing data from the prior calendar year as it pertains to plan sponsors doing business in Minnesota. The report must contain the following information:

(1) the aggregate wholesale acquisition costs from a drug manufacturer or wholesale drug distributor for each therapeutic category of prescription drugs for all of the pharmacy benefit manager's plan sponsor clients, and these costs net of all rebates and other fees and payments, direct or indirect, from all sources;

(2) the aggregate amount of all rebates that the pharmacy benefit manager received from all drug manufacturers for all of the pharmacy benefit manager's plan sponsor clients. The aggregate amount of rebates must include any utilization discounts the pharmacy benefit manager receives from a drug manufacturer or wholesale drug distributor;

(3) the aggregate of all fees from all sources, direct or indirect, that the pharmacy benefit manager received for all of the pharmacy benefit manager's plan sponsor clients;

(4) the aggregate retained rebates and other fees, as listed in clause (3), that the pharmacy benefit manager received from all sources, direct or indirect, that were not passed through to plan sponsors;

(5) the aggregate retained rebate and fees percentage;

(6) the highest, lowest, and mean aggregate retained rebate and fees percentage for all of the pharmacy benefit manager's plan sponsor clients; and

(7) de-identified claims level information in electronic format that allows the commissioner to sort and analyze the following information for each claim:

(i) the drug and quantity for each prescription;

(ii) whether the claim required prior authorization;

(iii) patient cost-sharing paid on each prescription. This data is classified pursuant to paragraph (d);

(iv) the amount paid to the pharmacy for each prescription, net of the aggregate amount of fees or other assessments imposed on the pharmacy, including point-of-sale and retroactive charges. This data is classified pursuant to paragraph (d);

(v) any spread between the net amount paid to the pharmacy in item (iv) and the amount charged to the plan sponsor. This data is classified pursuant to paragraph (d);

(vi) identity of the pharmacy for each prescription;

(vii) whether the pharmacy is, or is not, under common control or ownership with the pharmacy benefit manager;

(viii) whether the pharmacy is, or is not, a preferred pharmacy under the plan;

(ix) whether the pharmacy is, or is not, a mail order pharmacy; and

(x) whether enrollees are required by the plan to use the pharmacy.

(b) Within 60 days upon receipt of the transparency report, the commissioner shall publish the report from each pharmacy benefit manager on the Department of Commerce's website, with the exception of data considered trade secret information under section 13.37. The transparency report must be published in such a way as to not disclose the identity of a specific plan sponsor, the prices charged for a specific prescription drug or classes of drugs, or the amount of any rebates provided for a specific prescription drug or classes of drugs.

(c) For purposes of this subdivision, the aggregate retained rebate and fee percentage must be calculated for each plan sponsor for rebates and fees in the previous calendar year as follows:

(1) the sum total dollar amount of rebates and fees from all drug manufacturers for all utilization of enrollees of a plan sponsor that was not passed through to the plan sponsor; and

(2) divided by the sum total dollar amount of all rebates and fees received from all sources, direct or indirect, for all enrollees of a plan sponsor.

(d) Data, documents, materials, or other information in the possession or control of the commissioner of commerce that are obtained by, created by, or disclosed to the commissioner pursuant to paragraph (a), clause (7), items (iii), (iv), and (v), are classified as confidential, protected nonpublic, or both. Those data, documents, materials, or other information are not subject to subpoena, and are not subject to discovery or admissible in evidence in any private civil action. However, the commissioner may use the data, documents, materials, or other information in the furtherance of a regulatory or legal action brought as a part of the commissioner's official duties. The commissioner shall not otherwise make the data, documents, materials, or other information public without the prior written consent of the pharmacy benefit manager. Neither the commissioner nor any person who received data, documents, materials, or other information while acting under the authority of the commissioner are permitted or required to testify in any private civil action concerning data, documents, materials, or information subject to this paragraph that are classified as confidential, protected nonpublic, or both.

Subd. 3.Penalty.

The commissioner may impose civil penalties of not more than $1,000 per day per violation of this section.

History:

2019 c 39 s 6

Official Publication of the State of Minnesota
Revisor of Statutes