New York Senate passes contracted network pharmacy bill

The New York Senate passed a bill aimed at giving injured workers more choices for filling prescriptions by allowing them to use pharmacies registered with the state.

The Senate voted 62-1 Wednesday to pass S.B. 1026, carryover legislation from 2021.

“This bill will provide workers’ compensation claimants with greater flexibility by allowing them to fill their prescriptions not only at network pharmacies with whom an employer or carrier encourages an exclusive relationship but also at pharmacies that are registered as resident, in-state pharmacies with the New York State Department of Education,” according to a statement of justification on the Senate’s website.

S.B. 1026 was referred to the Assembly Labor Committee, where it died last year.

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