Supreme Court agrees to hear Arkansas case on drug benefits law

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - The U.S. Supreme Court said last Friday it will review a lower court's decision that upheld limits on Arkansas' regulation of companies that pay pharmacies on behalf of health plans. The court granted Arkansas' request to review the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that a 2015 state law regulated pharmacy benefit managers' drug reimbursement rates is preempted by federal law. Attorney General Leslie Rutledge has argued that the appeals court's ruling conflicts with past Supreme Court decisions that the federal law cited doesn't prevent states from regulating reimbursement rates. Arkansas is among 36 states that have enacted legislation to regulate PBM reimbursement rates, according to court filings. Published: Tue, Jan 14, 2020