# 119-s-882: Patients Before Middlemen Act

119-s-882, Patients Before Middlemen Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN] (R-TN); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-882
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-882
- Congress: 119
- Title: Patients Before Middlemen Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-03-06
- Sponsor: Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN] (R-TN)
- Cosponsors: 7
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Make PBMs more transparent and open Medicare Part D networks to willing pharmacies.** This bill would require pharmacy benefit managers and Prescription Drug Plan sponsors to report detailed drug price and payment data and would create rules to let willing and qualifying independent pharmacies join networks.

## Cosponsors (7)

- Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-NH] (D-NH), 2025-03-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Lankford, James [R-OK] (R-OK), 2025-03-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA] (D-VA), 2025-03-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Marshall, Roger [R-KS] (R-KS), 2025-03-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT] (D-VT), 2025-03-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV] (D-NV), 2025-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Cassidy, Bill [R-LA] (R-LA), 2025-03-10T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Limit PBM pay and require refunds: benefit, medium. If enacted, PBMs and affiliates could not get payments tied to drug use except flat, bona fide service fees that reflect fair market value. Incentive or volume payments would count only if flat and tied to real services. Rebates and discounts would be allowed only if fully passed through to the Par…
- Protect local and essential pharmacies: benefit, medium. If enacted, HHS would create an “essential retail pharmacy” list starting for plan year 2028. Pharmacies would qualify when they are non‑affiliate and are in medically underserved or isolated areas (examples: rural with no other pharmacy within 10 miles, suburban within 2 miles, urban within 1 mile…
- Yearly PBM transparency reports: benefit, medium. If enacted, PBMs would have to give each Part D plan and HHS a yearly, no-cost, machine-readable report. Reports would be due by July 1 each year starting in 2028, with formats set by the Secretary by June 1, 2027. Reports must list drug names and NDCs, counts of enrollees and claims, dispensing ch…
- Stronger audits and enforcement tools: benefit, low. If enacted, Part D plans could audit their PBMs at least once per year and pick the auditor. PBMs would have to provide records, including affiliate data, within six months and answer follow-ups within 30 days. HHS would require plans to certify yearly that they follow PBM rules and would keep a co…

## Related bills

- 119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act
- 119-s-1816: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025
- 119-s-3345: PBM Price Transparency and Accountability Act
- 119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former United States Senator for the State of Kansas.
- 119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewellyn Kyl, former Senator for the State of Arizona.
- 119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham, a Senator from the State of South Carolina.

## Sources
- [119-s-882 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/882)

## Related
- [119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1748)
- [119-s-1816: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1816)
- [119-s-3345: PBM Price Transparency and Accountability Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3345)
- [119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former Uni…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-913)
- [119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewel…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-897)
- [119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham,…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-801)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-882 (as of 2026-04-21).