On Saturday, the House of Representatives released their draft legislation that would fund the government as they try to stave off another potential government shutdown from occurring by their Friday deadline. Unfortunately, the PBM reform measures that were negotiated at the end of last year were not included. The Senate also failed to pass the health care package that included PBM reforms by unanimous consent but is looking at other options moving forward.
Yet again, Congress is looking to pass a "clean" CR with very limited attached legislative policies, halting the progression of numerous bipartisan legislative policies, even PBM reform.
On the heels of the disappointing negotiations, the Senate began attempting to pass the package by unanimous consent. This procedural move often allows legislation to pass quietly, but it only takes one Senator opposing it to stop passage.
In a statement released by NCPA when the procedure stalled on Monday, NCPA CEO Douglas Hoey said, "Another swing and a miss. The Senate had a chance to pass the health care package by unanimous consent. That package included the PBM reforms so many say they support. But they whiffed again.
"There is overwhelming bipartisan support for getting the PBMs under control. Everyone knows they are gaming the system. Everyone knows they are hurting consumers by driving up the cost of prescription drugs. Everyone knows PBMs, the cronies of Big Health Insurance companies, are killing their competition by paying their own pharmacies more than they pay small, community pharmacies. And everyone knows patients are paying more money and losing their local pharmacies. Everyone agrees this must happen, so take the win and do it. Although we are disappointed, we urge Congress to see the copious amount of bipartisan support behind this package and take it to the floor to pass without delay."
Even with the setback, this attempt highlights for Senate leadership the strong bipartisan support this health care passage has and could get in a vote on the floor, opening the door for a potential stand-alone bill to move forward in the future.
