# Nebraska LB198: Change provisions of the Pharmacy Benefit Manager Licensure and Regulation Act Nebraska LB198, Change provisions of the Pharmacy Benefit Manager Licensure and Regulation Act, is a 109th Legislature 1st and 2nd Sessions legislature bill sponsored by Tony Sorrentino; status signed, last action 2025-06-06 (Provisions/portions of LB109 amended into LB198 by AM1201); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-17). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NE-LB198-109 - As of: 2026-10-17 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Nebraska LB198 - State: Nebraska - Session: 109th Legislature 1st and 2nd Sessions - Title: Change provisions of the Pharmacy Benefit Manager Licensure and Regulation Act - Status: signed - Chamber: legislature - Introduced: 2025-01-14 - Last action: 2025-06-06, Provisions/portions of LB109 amended into LB198 by AM1201 - Sponsor: Tony Sorrentino - Cosponsors: 0 - Subjects: Banking, Commerce and Insurance Committee - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 6 (234 yes, 0 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 7 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - PBM spread pricing ends by 2029: benefit, high. Beginning January 1, 2026, new contracts between pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and health plans cannot include spread pricing, except extensions of pre‑2026 contracts that already had it. Beginning January 1, 2029, spread pricing is banned in all PBM–plan contracts. - No forced mail-order for prescriptions: benefit, medium. Health plans, carriers, and PBMs cannot force you to use mail-order or a PBM affiliate pharmacy. They cannot block you from picking any network pharmacy or move your prescription without your request. They cannot use cost-sharing incentives that favor an affiliate. Plans may auto-enroll you in mail… - Safer delivery of clinic-given drugs: benefit, medium. Specialty pharmacies that ship clinician-administered drugs must follow federal shipping and drug tracing laws and give providers 24/7 pharmacist or nurse access. Providers and patients can request refills under normal plan review rules. Providers must schedule delivery at least five business days… - Pharmacies can refuse below-cost fills: benefit, medium. A network pharmacy or pharmacist may refuse to fill a drug when payment is below its acquisition cost. If they refuse, they must tell the patient where to fill it or refer them to the plan sponsor. PBMs, PSAOs, or their agents cannot punish or remove the pharmacy just for refusing for this reason. - Fair network rules for specialty pharmacies: benefit, low. A PBM cannot exclude a Nebraska specialty pharmacy from its specialty network if the pharmacy is nationally accredited and accepts the PBM’s terms. PBMs cannot give unaffiliated specialty pharmacies stricter rules than affiliates or impose terms that conflict with this law. PBMs may not demand data… - New pharmacy benefit manager definitions: benefit, low. The law updates key terms used in PBM rules, including clinician‑administered drug, maintenance medication, network pharmacist and pharmacy, pharmacy benefit manager and affiliate, PSAO, specialty pharmacy, and spread pricing. Beginning January 1, 2026, it defines retail pharmacy for the delivery p… - Retail pharmacy delivery rights and fees: mixed, low. Starting January 1, 2026, contracts cannot bar retail pharmacies from offering delivery by mail, carrier, or staff when the patient asks before delivery. PBMs and plan sponsors cannot drop a retail pharmacy from networks or force it into a mail‑order network just for offering allowed delivery. Unle… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Tony Sorrentino, Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-05-14 | legislature | Final Reading | pass | 49 | 0 | | | 2025-05-01 | legislature | Vote | fail | 36 | 0 | 13 | | 2025-05-01 | legislature | Vote | fail | 37 | 0 | 12 | | 2025-05-01 | legislature | Vote | fail | 39 | 0 | 10 | | | legislature | Vote | fail | 37 | 0 | 12 | | | legislature | Vote | fail | 36 | 0 | 13 | ## Actions (23) - 2025-06-06: Provisions/portions of LB109 amended into LB198 by AM1201 (legislature) - 2025-05-20: Approved by Governor on May 20, 2025 (legislature) - 2025-05-14: Presented to Governor on May 14, 2025 (legislature) - 2025-05-14: President/Speaker signed (legislature) - 2025-05-14: Passed on Final Reading 49-0-0 (legislature) - 2025-05-14: Dispensing of reading at large approved (legislature) - 2025-05-12: Placed on Final Reading (legislature) - 2025-05-08: Advanced to Enrollment and Review for Engrossment (legislature) - 2025-05-08: Enrollment and Review ER76 adopted (legislature) - 2025-05-07: Enrollment and Review ER76 filed (legislature) - 2025-05-07: Placed on Select File with ER76 (legislature) - 2025-05-01: Advanced to Enrollment and Review Initial (legislature) - 2025-05-01: Banking, Commerce and Insurance AM1201 adopted (legislature) - 2025-05-01: Jacobson AM1229 adopted (legislature) - 2025-05-01: Jacobson AM1229 to AM1201 filed (legislature) - 2025-04-29: Banking, Commerce and Insurance AM1201 filed (legislature) - 2025-04-29: Placed on General File with AM1201 (legislature) - 2025-03-12: Banking, Commerce and Insurance priority bill (legislature) - 2025-03-06: Sanders name added (legislature) - 2025-02-11: Hallstrom name added (legislature) - 2025-01-29: Notice of hearing for March 03, 2025 (legislature) - 2025-01-16: Referred to Banking, Commerce and Insurance Committee (legislature) - 2025-01-14: Date of introduction (legislature) ## Bill text - Introduced, 2025-01-14: [PDF](https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/109/PDF/Intro/LB198.pdf) - Enrolled / Slip Law: [PDF](https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/109/PDF/Slip/LB198.pdf) - Final / Enacted: [PDF](https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/109/PDF/Final/LB198.pdf) ## Related bills - LB468: Change provisions relating to inheritance taxes, change certain fee and tax provisions, and eliminate a sales tax exemption relating to data centers (failed) - LB13: Require the Department of Health and Human Services to file a state plan amendment relating to child care (failed) - LB677: Change provisions of the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Regulation Act and provide for regulation of medical cannabis (failed) - LB170: Eliminate the sales tax exemptions for candy and soft drinks (failed) - LB646: Provide an exemption from brand inspections and change fees under the Livestock Brand Act (failed) - LB714: Change provisions relating to motor vehicle taxes and fees (failed) ## Sources - [Introduced (PDF)](https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/109/PDF/Intro/LB198.pdf) - [Enrolled / Slip Law (PDF)](https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/109/PDF/Slip/LB198.pdf) - [Final / Enacted (PDF)](https://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/109/PDF/Final/LB198.pdf) ## Related - [LB468: Change provisions relating to inheritance taxes, change certain fee and tax pro…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NE-LB468-109) - [LB13: Require the Department of Health and Human Services to file a state plan amendm…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NE-LB13-109) - [LB677: Change provisions of the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Regulation Act and provide f…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NE-LB677-109) - [LB170: Eliminate the sales tax exemptions for candy and soft drinks](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NE-LB170-109) - [LB646: Provide an exemption from brand inspections and change fees under the Livestock…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NE-LB646-109) - [LB714: Change provisions relating to motor vehicle taxes and fees](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NE-LB714-109) - [Nebraska bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/nebraska/bills) - [Nebraska state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/nebraska) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/NE-LB198-109 (as of 2026-10-17).