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ARLINGTON, Va. – A new television ad from NACDS urges Congress to enact bipartisan pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reforms that it has advanced in this legislative session. NACDS is warning against squandering the chance to protect Americans’ access to the pharmacies and pharmacists they trust and rely upon.
In “Get It Done,” NACDS president and CEO Steven Anderson says: “It’s time for some straight talk about PBMs – the prescription drug middlemen. PBM profits are soaring while they make people pay more for their medicines and make it impossible for pharmacies of any size to stay open. People and communities across this country rely on their pharmacies. The clock is ticking for Congress to pass real PBM reform for Medicare and Medicaid. Let’s get it done.”
NACDS emphasizes the importance of Medicare and Medicaid reforms passed by the by the U.S. House of Representatives, by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and by the U.S. Senate Finance Committee.
Throughout Congress’ consideration of PBM reform, prior NACDS ads have described the negative effects on Americans and on pharmacies caused by “pharmaceutical benefit manipulation,” and have defined “real PBM reform” at the federal level as that which addresses PBM tactics in Medicare and Medicaid.
Not only does NACDS’ new ad coincide with Congress’ evaluation of must-pass legislation in the 118th Congress, but it also comes on the heels of a December letter from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to PBMs and plans. The letter challenges PBM and plan tactics that CMS said “threaten the sustainability of many pharmacies, impede access to care, and put increased burden on healthcare providers.”
Anderson said of NACDS’ ongoing advocacy for PBM reform: “The PBMs are trying to run out the clock on real reform. The U.S. Congress must not fall for that. It is past time to protect Americans, communities, and their pharmacies from pharmaceutical benefit manipulation. Congress has already done most of the work on a bipartisan basis, so let’s get it done. Americans in communities across the country are watching.”
