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n a new digital advertisement from NCPA, Bil and Shanon Schmidtknecht of Wisconsin speak out against PBMs after their 22-year-old son, Cole, died from cardiac arrest after a sudden increase in the cost of his Advair prescription forced him to choose between paying for his asthma medication and paying his rent. A few days later, Cole had an asthma attack, went into cardiac arrest, and died.
Like most Americans, Bil and Shanon hadn’t heard of a PBM previously. That radically changed when Cole died because he couldn’t afford his medication due to a PBM-insurer’s formulary decision, which was driven by profit versus health care.
“We all as Americans deserve medication that our doctors and us have decided is in our best interest,” Shanon says in the ad. “People’s lives, their health care, their wellbeing doesn’t have a price tag on it.”
The Schmidtknechts are all in on PBM reform. This month they traveled to Washington, D.C. with NCPA and the PBM Accountability Project for meetings with members of Congress and Biden administration officials. Bill will also be at NCPA’s Annual Convention this year.
Watch the video here, and join us and the Schmidtknechts in finishing the fight for PBM reform. For more information click here.
