The Time Has Come For Pharmacists to Fight Back

“Cold comfort for change
did you exchange
a walk on part in the war
for a lead role in a cage”
— David Gilmour

There has been a maelstrom of activity over the last few months in the war against PBM abuse. 3Axis dropped their explosive report on mail order price gouging, the FTC released an interim report of their 6b study, the PBMs were grilled at a July 23rd congressional hearing on anti-competitive tactics, and, biggest of all, Representatives Jake Auchincloss and Diana Harshbarger filed the Pharmacists Fight Back Act, or HR 9096.

This bill is THE bill. It not only addresses a wide range of anti-competitive tactics like steering, fees, and anticompetitive network structuring, it also sets a great baseline for pharmacy reimbursement in Medicare part D while tackling Medicaid MCO abuse.

HR 9096 is the opportunity we have been waiting years for. We have clear evidence of PBM misdeeds, regulators and lawmakers are furious, and we have a bill that is getting pharmacists excited nationwide. Just a few years ago, this would have seemed impossible.

We MUST capitalize on this situation.

Getting 50 co-sponsors for HR 9096 as quickly as possible will demonstrate how active and powerful the pharmacy community can be to lawmakers and excite pharmacists who have yet to join the fight.

This wave will be used to pass NCPA and Carter’s bills that have already been marked up. PBMs will do everything in their power to gut those bills. Setting up HR 9096 to be brought up quickly lays the groundwork for a swift response to PCMA’s tactics. We need to get NCPA’s bills on base so that HR 9096 can bat cleanup.

I’m asking all pharmacists to contact your lawmakers and get them on as a cosponsor for HR 9096. Tell them that this bill has pharmacists excited not only in their state, but nationwide. Tell them you would be honored to say your lawmaker was an early cosponsor of HR 9096 and ask them to support the flurry of PBM reform legislative activity coming up. Tell them you understand the bill will most likely be brought up next year, but you still think it is incredibly important to get the ball rolling to fix reimbursement and keep pharmacies open.

We are going to use the excitement around HR 9096 to get more pharmacists involved in advocacy, make inroads with lawmakers and regulators, and push through pro-pharmacy legislation. This tidal wave of activism will not only make us more effective in the war against PBMs, it will also allow us to defend any ground we gain.

Get in the fight by contacting your lawmakers today and joining us at PUTT!

Be loud. Be fearless. Play Dirty.

– Jeremy Counts, PharmD, PUTT Executive Board Member