Virginia Lawmakers Target PBM Reforms in Bipartisan Push

Lawmakers aim to require pharmacy benefit managers to pass along rebates to lower drug costs for consumers.

Published on Feb. 26, 2026

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A bipartisan group of Virginia lawmakers is taking on pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs), aiming to pass legislation that would require PBMs to pass along the rebates they receive from drug manufacturers to consumers in the form of lower copays and premiums. Delegate Otto Wachsmann, a pharmacist, argues that the current opaque PBM system leads to higher drug prices as manufacturers raise prices to cover the rebates demanded by PBMs.

Why it matters

Prescription drug costs have been a major concern for consumers, and this bipartisan effort to reform the PBM system aims to provide more transparency and pass along savings directly to patients. PBMs have been criticized for their role in driving up drug prices through their negotiation practices with manufacturers.

The details

The proposed legislation would require PBMs to pass along the rebates they receive from drug manufacturers to consumers in the form of lower copays and premiums. Delegate Wachsmann, a pharmacist, argues that the current PBM system leads to higher drug prices as manufacturers raise prices to cover the rebates demanded by PBMs.

  • The bipartisan bills are currently working their way through the Virginia General Assembly.

The players

Otto Wachsmann

A Republican delegate in the Virginia General Assembly who is a pharmacist by trade.

Pharmaceutical Care Management Association

The national association representing America's pharmacy benefit managers.

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What they’re saying

“When you're talking about rebates, pharmacy prices, how drugs are priced, how they're paid for, and such forth, complexity and confusion really comes to mind. It's a very opaque system where nobody really understands it.”

— Otto Wachsmann, Delegate (WRIC)

“That rebate money has to be shared back with cost share, that means it helps lower the copays the patients pay and helps to lower some of the premiums as well too.”

— Otto Wachsmann, Delegate (WRIC)

What’s next

The bipartisan bills targeting PBM reforms are currently working their way through the Virginia General Assembly, and lawmakers will continue to debate and negotiate the details of the legislation.

The takeaway

This bipartisan effort to reform the PBM system in Virginia aims to increase transparency and pass along savings directly to consumers in the form of lower drug costs and premiums, addressing a major concern for many patients struggling with the high price of prescription medications.