# 119-hr-8779: PBM Act

119-hr-8779, PBM Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Harshbarger, Diana [R-TN-1] (R-TN); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8779
- As of: 2026-09-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-8779
- Congress: 119
- Title: PBM Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-05-13
- Sponsor: Rep. Harshbarger, Diana [R-TN-1] (R-TN)
- Cosponsors: 8
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**Bans insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) from owning pharmacies.** The Patients Before Monopolies Act would require insurers or PBMs that own pharmacies to divest those holdings within one year and sets penalties and legal tools to enforce that split. - Consumers and patients gain new ways to recover money. The bill creates private lawsuits with damages and fees, and directs disgorged revenue into an FTC fund to help communities and consumers overcharged at vertically integrated pharmacies. - Pharmacy owners face an orderly divestment process with milestones, possible appointment of a divestiture trustee, and a penalty that places ten percent of the violator's profits into escrow each month if milestones slip. - Federal and state enforcers get broad powers. The FTC and the Department of Justice Antitrust Division can seek injunctions, compel divestiture, and review post-sale effects, while state attorneys general and the HHS Inspector General may bring civil actions, including parens patriae suits for monetary relief.

## Cosponsors (8)

- Rep. Auchincloss, Jake [D-MA-4] (D-MA), 2026-05-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carter, Earl L. "Buddy" [R-GA-1] (R-GA), 2026-05-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Landsman, Greg [D-OH-1] (D-OH), 2026-05-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Nehls, Troy E. [R-TX-22] (R-TX), 2026-05-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Nadler, Jerrold [D-NY-12] (D-NY), 2026-05-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McCormick, Richard [R-GA-7] (R-GA), 2026-05-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Deluzio, Christopher R. [D-PA-17] (D-PA), 2026-05-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Goodlander, Maggie [D-NH-2] (D-NH), 2026-07-22T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- New private lawsuits for consumers: benefit, high. If enacted, people who say they were harmed by a violation would be able to sue in state or federal court. A winning plaintiff could recover three times their damages, reasonable lawyer fees and costs, and other relief. A State attorney general could also file a parens patriae suit on behalf of res…
- Agency rules, reports, and oversight: benefit, low. If enacted, the Federal Trade Commission could write rules to implement the ban, but those rules could not weaken the statute. The FTC Chair and the Justice Department antitrust chief would have to send quarterly reports to the appropriate congressional committees about compliance and the status of…
- Ban on insurer or PBM pharmacy ownership: mixed, high. If enacted, the bill would make it unlawful for a person to both own or control a pharmacy and also own or control an insurance company or a pharmacy benefit manager. Anyone found in violation would have to divest the pharmacy within one year of enactment. The bill would define key terms like "phar…
- Penalties and enforcement for violations: mixed, medium. If enacted, agencies could enforce the ban in multiple ways. Firms that miss divestment milestones could have 10 percent of their monthly profits put into escrow each month; that money would be returned if they complete the sale by the one-year deadline and sent to a designated fund if they do not.…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act
- 119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025
- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4317: PBM Reform Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act
- 119-hr-1266: Combating Illicit Xylazine Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-8779 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8779)

## Related
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3514)
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-4317: PBM Reform Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4317)
- [119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2102)
- [119-hr-1266: Combating Illicit Xylazine Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1266)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8779 (as of 2026-09-21).