- Stage
- In committee
- Started in
- Senate
- Sponsors
- 4
- Latest action
- May 13, 2026
What it does
The Patients Before Monopolies Act (S.4509) would prohibit pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and insurance companies from owning or controlling pharmacies, requiring divestment within one year of enactment to eliminate conflicts of interest and restore competition in the pharmaceutical supply chain. The bill affects large vertically integrated health conglomerates that currently control over 90% of U.S. prescriptions, mandating structural separation to prevent self-preferencing, inflated drug costs, and pharmacy closures. Enforcement would be led by the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice, which could impose financial penalties, appoint trustees to oversee divestment, and…
AI summary · The lawmakers haven’t published an official summary of this bill yet, so 52 wrote this one from the bill’s text.
Where it stands
Introduced (Done)
Committee (Current step)
Floor (Not started)
Law (Not started)
What moved
Who is involved
Sponsors
The lawmakers who put their names on it, lead sponsors first.
In the news
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Where it goes next
While a bill can still move, the questions are about people and money.