What's happening
This bill requires the New York Department of Health to update the prescription drug retail price list at least weekly.
Why it matters
Increases transparency for consumers by ensuring up-to-date information. By mandating weekly updates to pharmacy drug price lists online, the bill helps patients and shoppers make more informed decisions and potentially compare prices more easily across different pharmacies.
Reduces the risk of outdated pricing and sticker shock. Consumers will be less likely to encounter unexpected price changes at the pharmacy counter, which can be especially important for those managing chronic conditions or on tight budgets.
Pushes pharmacies toward more robust digital systems and accountability. Pharmacies will need to have processes in place to regularly update their price data, promoting better data management and potentially reducing errors or discrepancies.
Could impact market competition and pricing strategies. With more frequent and transparent price updates, pharmacies may feel increased pressure to keep prices competitive, potentially affecting the overall pricing landscape for prescription drugs in New York.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Update Drug Prices Weekly
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to health
- Referred to health
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
437
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 8, 2025
Introduced by Sen. MYRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Health
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to requiring a weekly update of the prescription drug retail price list
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 278 of the public health law, as renumbered by section 1-a of part B of chapter 447 of the laws of 2012 and as amended by section 16 of part B of chapter 58 of the laws of 2007, is amended to read as follows:
2. The department shall extract pharmacy retail price information, showing the actual price to be paid to the pharmacy by a retail purchaser for any listed drug at the listed dosage, from usual and customary price data collected by the medical assistance program under title eleven of article five of the social services law. Provided, however, that any pharmacy participating in the medical assistance program shall provide the usual and customary price data for the one hundred fifty most frequently prescribed drugs under section sixty-eight hundred twenty-six of the education law to the department through the same mechanism that the usual and customary price data is received under the medical assistance program. If the department is unable to process such data, the pharmacy shall fax or electronically transmit to the department the usual and customary price data for the one hundred fifty most frequently prescribed drugs under section sixty-eight hundred twenty-six of the education law. The prescription drug retail price list database shall be subject to and conform with applicable state and federal requirements, including those concerning privacy, confidentiality and use of information. The commissioner shall seek a waiver of any federal requirement necessary for development and implementation of the database under this section. Upon implementation of this system, this section shall apply in
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01736-01-5
place of any inconsistent provision of section sixty-eight hundred twenty-six of the education law. The prescription drug retail price list database on the department's website shall list a pharmacy's price information extracted under this subdivision as the pharmacy's retail price for each drug. The department shall update the prescription drug retail price list at least weekly using the most recent retail price for each drug for each pharmacy [as reasonably practicable].
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the public health law, in relation to requiring a weekly update of the prescription drug retail price list
Purpose
The purpose of this bill is to require the Department of Health to update the State's Prescription Drug Retail Price List weekly.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 amends subdivision 2 of section 278 of the Public Health Law, as renumbered by section 1-a of part B of chapter 447 of the laws of 201.2 and as amended by section 16 of part B of chapter 58 of the laws of 4 2007 to require the Department of Health to extract pharmacy price information and to provide a weekly update of the prescription drug retail price list for the one hundred and fifty most frequently purchased drugs. It is also the responsibility of the pharmacy to create, update, and publish this retail price list on its website. The update schedule must comply with a weekly basis at the very least.
Section 2 provides the effective date.
Justification
Though the Department of Health is required to list retail prescription drug prices, the current law only requires the department to extract and share this information "as reasonably practicable". This has resulted in an outdated Prescription Drug Retail Price List on the State's Depart- ment of Health website. With prescription drug prices on the rise, New York must. Provide transparency and require a weekly update of the State's Prescription Drug Retail Price List so consumers can compare retail prescription drug prices and avoid paying unnecessarily high prices.
Prior legislative history
S3418 of 2023-24: Referred to Health.
S9290 of 2021-22: Referred to Health.
Fiscal implications
To be determined.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.