NCPA leads 134 groups in pushing for PBM reforms
By HME News Staff
Updated 10:09 AM CDT, Tue September 9, 2025
WASHINGTON – The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) has sent a letter to the leadership of the House of Representatives and the Senate on behalf 134 organizations representing patient groups, health care providers, employers, business groups and union workers urging them to pass pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reforms. “The American public is tired of losing access to their local health care providers and of paying too much out-of-pocket for the medicines they need,” said the groups. "Pharmacists are some of the most accessible and trusted health care professionals in America, with patients—particularly in rural and underserved communities—reliant on their training and expertise.” The groups are asking House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to pass the PBM Reform Act (H.R. 4317) and two companion bills in the Senate, the Protecting Pharmacies in Medicaid Act (S. 927) and the Patients Before Middlemen Act (S. 882). The bills would:
- Ban spread pricing in Medicaid, a practice that allows PBMs to overcharge state prescription programs billions of dollars
- Require PBM contracts with pharmacies in Medicare Part D to include reasonable and relevant terms
- Delink drug prices in Medicare Part D from PBM revenues
- Mandate that negotiated savings between insurance plans and drug makers be passed on directly to employers, workers and their families
- Promote price transparency for employer health plans, with regular detailed data reporting on prescription drug plan spending
“We urge you to prioritize PBM reform this fall and ensure these bipartisan efforts are enacted into law without delay,” said the groups. “Immediate action is needed to address these harmful practices. Americans deserve and expect protection from inflated prescription drug costs, from forced pharmacy closures, and from barriers to their pharmacy of choice that result from PBM tactics.”
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