Any Willing Provider Law – ALABAMA

ALABAMA SUMMARY OF EXISTING LAW

No health insurance policy or employee benefit plan issued in Alabama may: (1) prevent a patient from selecting the pharmacy or pharmacist of his/her choice to furnish the pharmaceutical services, including without limitation, prescription drugs, offered by said policy or plan or interfere with said selection provided the pharmacy or pharmacist is licensed to furnish such pharmaceutical services in this state; or (2) deny any pharmacy or pharmacist the right to participate as a contracting provider for such policy or plan provided the pharmacist is licensed to furnish pharmaceutical services, including without limitation, prescription drugs offered by said policy or plan.

Medicaid regional care organizations must contract with any willing hospital, doctor, or other provider to provide services in a Medicaid region if the provider is willing to accept the payments and terms offered comparable providers.

Link to Existing Law: Ala. Code 1975 § 27-45-3; Ala. Code 1975 § 22-6-158

PRACTICAL NOTE FOR EXISTING LAW

The law provides a clear ‘Any Willing Provider Law’ requirement for pharmacies in all insurance networks, and extends ‘Any Willing Provider Law’ protection explicitly to physicians in the Medicaid context. However, its use of ‘pharmacy’ or ‘pharmacist’ present challenges for physician dispensers seeking to make use of it. In addition, it could be strengthened by explicitly including PBMs within the reach of the law.