1. United States
2. Ind.
3. Letter

The Patients Before Monopolies Act aims to eliminate the inherent conflicts of interest within the healthcare system that have driven up drug costs, limited patient choice, and forced thousands of independent pharmacies out of business. The consolidated market power of giant pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and insurers that own their own pharmacies has rigged the system against competition and put profits before patient care. This bipartisan legislation will prohibit PBMs and insurers from owning pharmacy businesses, requiring them to divest these holdings within three years. By breaking up these vertically integrated conglomerates, the bill will restore competition, lower costs, increase access, and prioritize patient interests over corporate bottom lines. After the recent scrutiny surrounding the UnitedHealthcare tragedy, this commonsense reform is urgently needed to fix our broken healthcare system and protect Americans' access to affordable care.