Health & Saf. Code, § 1385.0026 · Article 6.1. Pharmacy Benefit Managers
Health & Saf. Code, § 1385.0026
Text — As published in the Legislative Counsel's database, tables dated October 18, 2026 (pubinfo_2025.zip)
(a) A pharmacy benefit manager shall not impose any requirements, conditions, or exclusions that discriminate against a nonaffiliated pharmacy in connection with dispensing drugs.
(b) Discrimination prohibited pursuant to subdivision (a) includes all of the following:
(1) Terms or conditions applied to nonaffiliated pharmacies based on their status as a nonaffiliated pharmacy.
(2) Refusing to contract with or terminating a contract with a nonaffiliated pharmacy on the basis that the pharmacy is a nonaffiliated pharmacy or for reasons other than those that apply equally to affiliated pharmacies.
(3) Retaliation against a nonaffiliated pharmacy based on its exercise of any right or remedy under this article.
(4) Engaging in an unlawful action against a covered entity, including a violation of Section 127471.
(5) Reimbursing a nonaffiliated pharmacy less for a pharmacist service than the pharmacy benefit manager would reimburse an affiliated pharmacy for the same pharmacist service.
(c) This article does not preclude a pharmacy benefit manager or a purchaser of pharmacy benefit manager services from establishing a network of contracting pharmacies.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Added by Stats. 2025, Ch. 605, Sec. 8. (SB 41) Effective January 1, 2026.
Source of truth
- Edition
- As published in the Legislative Counsel's database, tables dated October 18, 2026 (pubinfo_2025.zip)
- Official file
- https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=HSC§ionNum=1385.0026.
- Text hash
- sha256 2e85f6c29254863093850f590ed9f10ea7e2a57c26cbe1247f95b69e154becd5
- Composed by
- compose_ca.py 2026-10-22: the Legislative Counsel's CAML content files read by a tokenizer (caml_readers.reader_a); an independent xml.etree reading (caml_readers.reader_b) agrees on every section
This section cites
Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.
Health and Safety Code
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.