Last Thursday, NCPA CEO Douglas Hoey, pharmacy owner and former NCPA president Michele Belcher, and pharmacy owner Jack Holt joined a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol to decry the oversized influence of PBMs — linking arms with Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and other pharmacy leaders, pharmacists and patients to discuss the urgent need for Congress to finalize bipartisan PBM reforms. After the conference Sens. Wyden and Crapo issued a letter to Finance Committee members that reaffirmed their commitment to enacting meaningful PBM reforms during this Congress. In both the letter and their remarks, they emphasized support for a package they’ve been spearheading for months with provisions requiring the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to define contract terms and conditions that are “reasonable and relevant” under Medicare Part D and force PBMs to comply while creating a process for pharmacies to report problematic contract terms or potential violations.
Belcher, owner of Grants Pass Pharmacy in Grants Pass, Ore., said that while some will call pharmacy closures a mere “contraction” in the economy, it’s really a tragedy. “My patients are my neighbors. I grew up with many of them. I knew their parents when my dad was their local pharmacist. I’ve been taking care of them and seeing them as they grow,” she said. “What I resent most about PBMs and their diabolical practices is they make it harder for me to care about the people I care about most. Without PBM reform, pharmacies like mine will close.”
Holt, who has been practicing pharmacy for 42 years in Washington and Oregon, said Medicare and Medicaid reforms aren’t just good policies. They are “core responsibilities” of Congress. “My message is this: Congress must do its part because patients and pharmacists simply cannot wait any longer. The harms that PBMs inflict are well documented. PBMs often prevent patients from using their trusted and convenient pharmacy, and steering patients can cause major issues. PBMs are forcing pharmacies to close by paying them below cost,” he said.
NCPA’s Hoey closed out the press conference by saying pharmacy across the country is unified on the issue of PBM reform, which also happens to be one of the few issues that both Republicans and Democrats agree on. “Most of our members serve what are considered vulnerable or highly vulnerable populations and are the only accessible health care providers in their areas. Small business pharmacies are the economic anchors of their communities, but they are being put on the endangered lists by PBMs. In 2023, 307 independent pharmacies closed their doors for good, which is about one pharmacy per day. Where will the next one be today? Even if one pharmacy per day dies at the hands of PBMs, many others are on life-support. This must be done, and must be done this year,” he said.
