Pennsylvania’s planned shift to a preferred drug list for its Medicaid program is the subject of a new analysis of the projected impact of such a change.

Earlier this year, the Department of Human Services announced its intention to implement a preferred drug list in the state’s Medicaid program.  That PDL would apply to both the fee for service and managed care Medicaid programs.

During this year’s budget proceedings, Pennsylvania’s Human Services Code was amended to require an analysis of “the projected cost to the medical assistance managed care organization [sic] and the projected supplemental rebates that could be obtained” by moving to a PDL.

That analysis has now been completed.  It concluded that the state

…will save $85 million annual through implementation of a Statewide PDL.  The Statewide PDL will allow the Department [of Human Services] to receive an additional $261 million in pharmacy rebates, which will more than offset the estimated increase to managed care organization (MCO) expenditures of $176 million, considering their additional costs and loss of market share rebates.

The analysis commissioned by DHS is now available.  To learn more about the implications of a state-wide PDL for the state, for Medicaid managed care organization, and for Medicaid beneficiaries, read “Fiscal Impact Analysis of Medical Assistance Program Uniform Statewide Preferred Drug List, 2019 Report.”

The PDL will take effect on January 1, 2020 and has been posted on a DHS web site here.