S5939B

The New York State Senate took procedural action on S5939B, an act to amend the Public Health Law, during floor session on March 11th. Sen. Gianaris moved to reconsider a previous passage vote on the bill, and following a roll call vote on reconsideration, the measure was restored to the Third Reading Calendar. Sen. Gianaris subsequently offered amendments to the bill, though the specific content and disposition of those amendments were not detailed in the session record. The bill's sponsor is identified as Sen. Skoufis. No substantive debate on the bill's merits was recorded in this portion of the transcript.

The New York State Senate passed legislation to amend the Public Health Law on a roll call vote of 55-1. Senate Print 5939B, sponsored by Sen. Skoufis, received overwhelming support with only Sen. Walczyk voting in opposition. The bill is scheduled to take effect January 1, 2026. No floor debate preceded the vote.

The New York State Senate passed legislation sponsored by Sen. Skoufis to establish pharmacy reimbursement benchmarks for commercial insurance plans, modeled after existing Medicaid rates. The bill passed 58-1 on a roll call vote, with only Sen. Walczyk voting in opposition. The measure aims to address what Skoufis characterized as unsustainable losses for pharmacies, citing examples such as $150 losses per asthma inhaler prescription and $290 losses per weight-loss drug prescription. The bill was amended to exclude union self-funded plans and large-group ERISA plans, which Skoufis argued are member-driven and responsive to their members. Walczyk raised concerns that the legislation could remove incentives for pharmacy benefit managers to negotiate lower drug costs and ultimately increase expenses for consumers and small business employees. Skoufis countered that health plans retain the power to reject any cost increases proposed by PBMs. The legislation takes effect January 1, 2026.