On March 19, NACDS sponsored and participated in the Pharmacists Society of Wisconsin’s lobby day. Legislative leaders spoke to the group collectively in the morning, and pharmacists met with all legislators in their offices in the afternoon. The primary objective was to ask for support for a new bill, Cole’s Act, aimed at reforming PBMs, a critical step toward ensuring fair drug pricing, increasing transparency for healthcare purchasers and alleviating workforce challenges in the healthcare sector.

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

Senate President Mary Felzkowski (R) and Representative Todd Novak (R) introduced a new bill, Cole’s Act, aimed at reforming PBMs, a critical step toward ensuring fair drug pricing, increasing transparency for healthcare purchasers and alleviating workforce challenges in the healthcare sector. The bill is named in honor of Cole Schmidtknecht of Appleton who passed away from a severe asthma attack in 2024 after his inhaler was removed from his PBM’s formulary. A bill number is not publicly available yet, but NACDS will continue to advocate for PBM policy priorities throughout the state’s legislative session.

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

The Department of Health Services released a campaign to encourage residents to get vaccinated, e.g., flu, COVID and RSV. To find and schedule a vaccine, Wisconsin residents are encouraged to check with their primary care provider, local or Tribal health department, community clinic or visit vaccines.gov. Wisconsinites can also call 211 or 877-947-2211 for help scheduling a vaccine appointment. If they do not have health insurance, or their health insurance does not cover vaccines, there are programs that can help, including the Vaccines for Children program and Vaccines for Adults program.

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

On January 24, Gov. Tony Evers (D) issued a standing order to ensure BadgerCare Plus members have direct access to over–the–counter emergency contraception. The order allows BadgerCare Plus members to get OTC emergency contraception from any Wisconsin Medicaid-enrolled pharmacy under their state coverage without a prescription from their doctor and with no out-of-pocket cost to them.

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

The Department of Health Services announced February 2023 will be the last month families will receive extra benefits in the state’s FoodShare program as a result of enactment of Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, passed by the U.S. Congress in late December. This act ends a federal program that has been providing additional benefits to households enrolled in the FoodShare program.

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

The Department of Safety and Professional Services announced a new LicensE Public Application Status Lookup toll that makes it easier for employers to track the application status of current and future employees.

For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.

The Department of Safety and Professional Services announced it earned a $1.4 million grant from the Federal Bureau of Justice Assistance for its Enhanced Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (ePDMP). The grant funds will be used to modernize the self-service functionality and provide improved data quality, better customer support and greater user satisfaction.

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

The Dept. of Health Services recently announced the following: 

• Expanded access to COVID-19 self-tests and 
• COVID-19 Boosters. 

For more information, contact NACDS’ Sandra Guckian at 703-774-4801.

A new online self-guided license application process, LicensE, is now live. Applicants can apply at the new, online, self-guided occupational license application at license.wi.gov.

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