On January 22, Gov. Maura Healey (D) announced her Fiscal Year 2026 budget proposal. The proposal includes two relevant sections for pharmacies:  

  1. The Commonwealth may impose a fee on each prescription dispensed in the state by pharmacies which will include retail, hospital, compounding, specialty and 340B pharmacies. The amount each pharmacy shall pay shall not exceed the lesser of the $2.00 per prescription dispensed by the pharmacy, or an amount equal to 6% of the revenues received by the pharmacy. The Executive Office of Human Services (EOHS) is also given the power to enforce this provision through license suspensions, fines and liens. MassHealth has indicated that these new funds will be used to increase the dispensing fees for all pharmacies that dispense prescriptions in the Fee-for-Service Program and to mandate dispensing fee floors for all pharmacies that participate in the MassHealth MCO pharmacy contracts.  
  2. EOHS will seek to create a Universal Adult Vaccine Program. This proposal would expand the current Childhood Vaccination Purchase Trust Fund and require pharmacies to participate in the new program for providing state-sponsored adult vaccines.  

NACDS will continue to work with the Massachusetts Chain Pharmacy Council to engage the administration and legislature. A collective meeting had been scheduled for the end of the month with MassHealth and Mercer on the ongoing cost of dispensing study issues. This meeting and others will be moved up sooner.  

For more information, please contact NACDS’ Ben Pearlman at 617-515-2603.