(a) The maximum amount a health insurer may require an insured to pay at the point of sale for a covered prescription drug is the lesser of the following:
(1) The applicable cost-sharing amount for the prescription drug.
(2) The retail price.
(b) A health insurer shall not require a pharmacist or pharmacy to charge or collect from an insured a cost-sharing amount that exceeds the total retail price for the prescription drug.
(c) The payment rendered shall constitute the applicable cost sharing and shall apply to the deductible, if any, and also to the maximum out-of-pocket limit in the same manner as if the insured had purchased the prescription drug by paying the cost-sharing amount.
(Added by Stats. 2018, Ch. 770, Sec. 3. (AB 2863) Effective January 1, 2019.)