Bicameral Patients before Monopolies Act reintroduced

On May 13, bipartisan lawmakers in the House and Senate reintroduced the Patients Before Monopolies (PBM) Act (S.4509/H.R.8779), legislation that would prohibit common ownership of PBMs, insurers, and pharmacies. Sponsored by Sens. Warren (D-MA) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) alongside Reps. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN) and Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), the bill would require impacted organizations to divest pharmacy assets within one year of enactment.

The reintroduced PBM Act includes more aggressive implementation and enforcement provisions than prior iterations, including a shortened one-year divestiture timeline and financial penalties tied to noncompliance.

The reintroduction reflects continued Congressional focus on PBM-related reforms and populist push to curb health care consolidation – particularly targeting vertically integrated models – despite significant PBM reforms being recently enacted as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (CAA).