(a) A pharmacy, a pharmacist, and a pharmacy technician shall have the right to provide a covered individual with information related to lower cost alternatives and cost share for the covered individual to assist health care consumers in making informed decisions. Neither a pharmacy, a pharmacist, nor a pharmacy technician may be penalized by a pharmacy benefit manager for discussing information in this section or for selling a lower cost alternative to a covered individual, if one is available, without using a health insurance policy.

(b) A pharmacy benefit manager may not collect from a pharmacy, a pharmacist, or a pharmacy technician a cost share charged to a covered individual that exceeds the total submitted charges by the pharmacy or pharmacist to the pharmacy benefit manager.

(c) A pharmacy benefit manager may only directly or indirectly charge or hold a pharmacy, a pharmacist, or a pharmacy technician responsible for a fee related to the adjudication of a claim if:

(1) The total amount of the fee is identified, reported, and specifically explained for each line item on the remittance advice of the adjudicated claim; or

(2) The total amount of the fee is apparent at the point of sale and not adjusted between the point of sale and the issuance of the remittance advice.

(d) A pharmacy benefit manager, or any other third party, that reimburses a 340B entity for drugs that are subject to an agreement under 42 U.S.C. §256b shall not reimburse the 340B entity for pharmacy-dispensed drugs at a rate lower than that paid for the same drug to pharmacies similar in prescription volume that are not 340B entities, and shall not assess any fee, charge-back, or other adjustment upon the 340B entity on the basis that the 340B entity participates in the program set forth in 42 U.S.C. §256b.

(e) With respect to a patient eligible to receive drugs subject to an agreement under 42 U.S.C. § 256b, a pharmacy benefit manager, or any other third party that makes payment for such drugs, shall not discriminate against a 340B entity in a manner that prevents or interferes with the patient"s choice to receive such drugs from the 340B entity: Provided, That for purposes of this section, "third party" does not include the state Medicaid program when Medicaid is providing reimbursement for covered outpatient drugs, as that term is defined in 42 U.S.C. § 1396r-8(k), on a fee-for-service basis: Provided, however, That "third party" does include a Medicaid-managed care organization as described in 42 U.S.C. § 1396b(m).

(f) This section does not apply with respect to claims under an employee benefit plan under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 or, except for paragraph (d), to Medicare Part D.