
The next time you walk into your pharmacy, you may not get the best deal on your prescription, but don’t blame the pharmacist.
Many allegedly have contracts with behind-the-scenes middlemen that contain “gag clauses” preventing them from telling you that paying cash for a prescription might cost less than your health insurance copayment. And pharmacists can face significant penalties if they disclose the difference.
Georgia enacted just such an “anti-gag” law last year. It not only prohibits PBMs from gagging pharmacists about lower prices, it also prohibits copays that are higher than what the pharmacy is paid for a drug. Georgia leading the nation — cool, huh?