Rx ACCESS Act

The Rx Access, Choice, Cost Equity, and Supply Stability (Rx ACCESS) Act aims to improve how military members, retirees, and their families access prescription medications through the TRICARE program. Currently, many beneficiaries are encouraged or required to use specific mail-order services or large pharmacy chains for certain long-term medications. This bill would change those rules to allow patients to fill their non-generic maintenance prescriptions at any in-network retail pharmacy of their choice, including local independent pharmacies, without facing additional hurdles.

Beyond patient choice, the legislation proposes new protections for community pharmacies by regulating how they are paid. It would require pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to reimburse pharmacies at rates based on the actual acquisition cost of the drug plus a professional dispensing fee similar to those used in state Medicaid programs. To ensure these rules are followed, the bill would direct the Government Accountability Office to conduct annual audits of TRICARE pharmacy data to monitor reimbursement fairness and ensure that military families have adequate geographic access to local drugstores.