Rx ACCESS Act

Key Points

• Starting October 1, 2026, TRICARE beneficiaries — military members, retirees, and their families — can choose to fill non-generic maintenance prescriptions at any available option: retail pharmacies, military pharmacies, or mail-order. This ends current rules that pushed many toward mail-order.
• The bill sets minimum reimbursement standards for local retail pharmacies, requiring they be paid at least the actual cost of acquiring the drug (or a national average acquisition cost proxy) plus a professional dispensing fee matching what their state pays under Medicaid.
• The bill bans pharmacy benefit managers from imposing hidden fees on retail pharmacies participating in TRICARE, including point-of-sale fees, retroactive fees, and other indirect charges that can squeeze pharmacy profit margins.
• Annual audits by the Government Accountability Office will review reimbursement data, price concessions, and whether the retail pharmacy network provides adequate access — with special attention to rural and underserved areas.
• The Secretary of Defense must submit a plan for implementing the new pharmacy rules to congressional defense committees within 90 days of enactment.