Notice of Informal Meeting on Open Rulemaking Docket Pharmacy Benefit Managers Licensing

Topics to be discussed are Arizona Licensing Time-frames and draft rules for licensing Pharmacy Benefit Managers with the Department. A copy of the meeting materials can be found at: https://difi.az.gov/rulemaking-announcements (link is external). Agenda

1. Opening Remarks by Director Richardson

2. Introduction of DIFI Staff

3. Licensing Time-Frames

4. Proposed rulemaking for licensing Pharmacy Benefit Managers

5. Rulemaking Timeline

The subject matter of these informal meetings is the licensing of Pharmacy Benefit Managers (“PBMs”) by the Insurance Division of the Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions (“Department”). This rulemaking will augment statutory sections which require the Department to license PBMs (A.R.S. §§ 20-3333 - Pharmacy benefit manager; certificate of authority; department; rules, and 20-3334 - Records retention; schedule.) This is the first of three classes of informal meetings that the Department plans to conduct: 1. Meetings with industry groups. The meeting conducted pursuant to this notice will be conducted with the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association to discuss the proposed licensing rules and to familiarize the Department with the functions of a Pharmacy Benefit Manager. 2. Meetings with pharmacist groups. After the Department has a workable draft of the licensing rules, it plans to share the draft rules with the Pharmacy Board and the Pharmacy Association. If either of these groups requests a meeting, the Department will schedule a future informal meeting to discuss the proposed rules. 3. Meetings with consumer groups. The Department also plans to reach out to consumer groups such as Patients for Affordable Drugs and the Association for Accessible Medicines to see if they have any interest in meeting on the proposed licensing rules. And if requested, a future meeting will be scheduled to meet with these or other groups interested in the licensing of PBMs. Each informal meeting will be open to the public. However, interested parties are encouraged to attend the meeting class that most aligns with their interests. These meetings will discuss the Department’s rules governing the licensing of Pharmacy Benefit Managers. They are not intended as a forum for fielding complaints about pharmaceutical claims or the activities of PBMs outside the licensing process. These informal meetings will not be recorded. Parties will have opportunities to submit formal comments on the rulemaking during the Open Comment Period which will commence upon publication of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.