1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

People nationwide are struggling to get their medications due to sky-high drug prices, long wait times at pharmacies that are criminally understaffed, and pharmacy closures across the country. Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs), the drug middlemen designed to lower drug costs, have done nothing but profit off the backs of consumers. I ask that you co-sponsor and vote yes on HR 9096, the Pharmacists Fight Back Act, which has bipartisan support for PBM reform and drug pricing transparency. The top 3 PBMs currently control 80% of the drug market. These companies also own health plans and mail-order pharmacies, funneling patients and dollars into their own networks with impunity. Abundant evidence has surfaced over recent years regarding abusive PBM practices such as: • Paying their affiliated pharmacies more than non-affiliated pharmacies for the same exact drug • Arbitrary fees that they control • Requiring brand name prescriptions despite the availability of more affordable generics • Forcing use of mail-order pharmacies owned by the PBMs. These predatory behaviors continue to increase medication costs to taxpayers, and are shuttering independent pharmacies, often the only pharmacies in rural areas. Nearly half of all US counties, 46%, now have at least 1 pharmacy desert, limiting healthcare access to 45 million people.  The Pharmacists Fight Back Act will ensure patients have access to a pharmacy of their choice by keeping pharmacy doors open, and lowering consumer expenses. HR 9096 will accomplish this by:
 1 Implementing a transparent pharmacy reimbursement model based on market based pricing benchmarked to the national average drug acquisition cost (NADAC) to ensure fair payment and prevent massive markups at PBM- affiliated pharmacies. 2 Requiring PBMs to give 80% of rebates to consumers at the counter. 3 Prohibiting PBM practices including:  network exclusions, steering patients to PBM- affiliated pharmacies, point of sale and retroactive fees, brand mandates, spread pricing, and tying the ingredient cost of a drug to outcomes, scores, or quotas. The 80% rebate requirement alone would have saved seniors $40 billion in 2023. Pharmacies are harbingers of healthcare access and self-sustaining communities. During the height of the pandemic, over half of all COVID immunizations were administered by pharmacy professionals, highlighting how essential they are within the healthcare system. I urge you to co-sponsor and vote yes on  the bipartisan HR 9096, the “Pharmacists Fight Back Act”, and pass PBM reform immediately. Public health is at stake; passing this legislation will directly help families afford their medications, and save lives today.