The goal of the bill is to give Indiana a “seat at the table” to play a role in negotiating rebates, pricing, distribution and dispensing fees — hopefully increasing transparency and lowering prices in the process.

Pharmacists are praising a bill under consideration in the Iowa House and Senate that would set new restrictions on pharmacy benefit managers or PBMs. Critics accuse PBMs of pocketing part of the money that should instead be reimbursing the pharmacies that fill prescriptions.

Indiana lawmakers are attempting to find solutions to decrease Indiana’s elevated healthcare costs by targeting pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) through a series of state bills. PBM’s act as middlemen when it comes to drug manufacturers and insurance companies.

Pharmacy benefit managers overcharged for specialty generic medications — in many cases by hundreds and thousands of percent — for billions in profits, according to a report from the Federal Trade Commission,