How New Federal Spending Bill Bolsters CMS Oversight, PBM Transparency

Passed by lawmakers in the US Senate this past Friday, HR 7148—or the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026—has potential to truly shift medication dispensing across US markets if signed into law.

With pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform being a key proponent within the health care provisions included in the bill, newfound oversight from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and greater transparency among PBMs could make this law a landmark statute within the pharmacy industry.

“One of the big goals of this legislation was to create a framework for pharmacies to be able to act, to get CMS to intervene and actually hold PBMs and Part D plan sponsors accountable,” Jesse Dresser, Esq, partner in the Life Sciences Department and head of the Pharmacy Practice Group at Frier Levitt Attorneys at Law, told Drug Topics. “It essentially creates CMS as a standard-setter for what constitutes reasonable and relevant terms and conditions, especially as it relates to things like reimbursement rates and other terms for participation.”

Representing Frier Levitt, as well as the group of attorneys that helped draft HR 7148, Dresser joined us in part 1 of our interview series for the Over the Counter podcast to discuss the problems that led to this new legislation and the challenges he foresees if it is signed into law.

Learn more about Dresser’s perspectives toward an ongoing development within the pharmacy industry—one that could be the first of many monumental shifts impacting millions of patients and providers. Also stay tuned for more from our discussion as Dresser details the various provisions included in the bill, how it changes the game for community pharmacy, and what is expected to come from it in the future.

READ MORE: Congressional Spending Bill to Include Key PBM Contracting Reform

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