NCPA supports new bills
By HME News Staff
Updated 9:11 AM CST, Mon January 30, 2023
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The National Community Pharmacists Association supports two pieces of legislation re-introduced in the Senate that seek to bring transparency to pharmacy benefit managers. Sens. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, have reintroduced:
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The PBM Transparency Act (S. 127) would provide plan sponsors/employers transparency on how PBMs administer their pharmacy benefit and clarifies the Federal Trade Commission’s enforcement authority to prohibit unfair or deceptive business practices. It would also prohibit arbitrary claw backs of payments made to pharmacies.
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The Prescription Pricing for the People Act (S. 113) would keep the pressure on the FTC to complete its probe into the role and recent merger activity of PBMs, including possible anticompetitive behavior.
“For years now, PBM tactics have led to increased costs and delayed access to care for consumers,” said Anne Cassity, senior vice president of government affairs for the NCPA. “They have also made it harder for small business pharmacies to keep their doors open. That weakens the entire health care system, because community pharmacies provide essential services to millions of Americans, especially underserved populations. For the sake of patients and independent pharmacies, reforms can’t come soon enough.”
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