NCPA renews call for PBM reform after latest hearing

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The National Community Pharmacists Association in a statement criticized pharmacy benefit managers who appeared at a hearing held by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform yesterday. Testifying at the hearing were executives Adam Kautzner, PharmD, president, Evernorth Care Management and Express Scripts; David Joyner, executive vice president, CVS Health, and president, CVS Caremark; and Patrick Conway, MD, CEO, OptumRx. “Among members of the Oversight Committee, there was broad support for finalizing comprehensive PBM reforms – and much skepticism about the excuses, and at times downright lies, the PBM executives were attempting to feed them about the roles of their organizations in increasing prescription costs and decreasing patient access to health care,” said Douglas Hoey, NCPA CEO. “Patient steering, self-dealing formularies, spread pricing, take-it-or-leave-it contracts, the fee-for-nothing scam…legislators have seen enough that the PBM-insurers can no longer obfuscate these important issues. We applaud the committee for its work and encourage its members and the rest of their colleagues in Congress to finish the fight. Finalize PBM reform now and rein in these and other harmful PBM tactics.” The Oversight Committee launched its investigation into PBMs in March 2023, and its chairman, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., spoke at NCPA’s Congressional Pharmacy Fly-In the following month. As part of this most recent hearing, the committee released a report finding that the three largest PBMs – CVS Caremark, Express Scripts, and OptumRx – have prioritized deliberate pricing tactics to line their own pockets. The NCPA recently launched an ad as part of its ongoing campaign asking lawmakers to enact PBM reform.