Community Oncology Alliance Submits PBM Regulation Recommendations to Department of Labor

COA Applauds New DOL Standards for PBM Price Transparency, Offers Recommendations for Improvement

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, April 8, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Community Oncology Alliance (COA) has submitted recommendations to the Department of Labor (DOL) to improve its proposed pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) fee disclosure rule. The rule establishes important requirements for PBMs to disclose compensation received when handling drugs, but it contains several loopholes that PBMs can exploit. COA’s recommendations seek to close these loopholes and ensure that data collected through reporting provides a more accurate picture of reimbursement rates.

- Click here to read COA’s comments to the DOL PBM Rule.

COA recommends that PBM-affiliated pharmacies be subject to the final rule as reporting entities. The rule currently applies to PBMs only; however, PBMs frequently own or are vertically integrated with their own pharmacies and provide drugs to those pharmacies at lower costs while charging higher prices to plans and payers. Expanding the disclosure to encompass affiliated pharmacies will give regulators a clearer picture of the differences between affiliated and non-affiliated pharmacy compensation.

The second major recommendation is that the DOL expand the definition of “covered service provider” to include vertically integrated PBMs and other organizations under the same corporate umbrella. As written, the statute will allow PBMs to exempt rebate aggregators and similar contracting entities from the data reporting requirements even though they handle drug reimbursement and play a vital role in PBM operations. COA also recommends deleting a carve-out for affiliates, agents, and subcontractors from the proposed rule.

“The Department of Labor is taking a big step forward for PBM price transparency and putting all providers on an equal footing, but more work is needed to craft a truly comprehensive transparency rule,” said Ted Okon, COA’s executive director. COA’s experience shows that PBMs will take advantage of any loophole, no matter how small, to hide their misbehavior from the public. Our changes would make the proposed rule airtight.”

COA’s full DOL PBM rule comments can be accessed at https://mycoa.communityoncology.org/publications/comment-letters/coa-comments-on-pbm-fee-disclosure.
###

About the Community Oncology Alliance
The Community Oncology Alliance (COA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating for community oncology practices and, most importantly, the patients they serve. COA is the only organization dedicated solely to community oncology where the majority of Americans with cancer are treated. The mission of COA is to ensure that patients with cancer receive quality, affordable, and accessible cancer care in their own communities. Learn more about COA at www.communityoncology.org.

Drew Lovejoy
Community Oncology Alliance
info@coacancer.org

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.