NCPA presses Congress on PBM reform during fly-in 

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Hundreds of independent community pharmacy advocates from 39 states and the District of Columbia went to Capitol Hill April 30-May 1 as part of the National Community Pharmacists Association’s Congressional Pharmacy Fly-In. Attendees visited more than 280 congressional offices to discuss why Congress must act swiftly to finalize and pass pharmacy benefit manager reform legislation and push the CMS to correct course on Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program implementation. “Egregious PBM practices have led to the closure of thousands of community pharmacies just over the past few years, creating pharmacy deserts and pharmacy abandonment throughout the country and greatly limiting patient access to care,” said Jeff Harrell, PharmD, the 2024-2025 NCPA president. “In my home state of Washington, we lost 83 pharmacies in the second half of 2023 alone. Patients and pharmacies cannot keep waiting for these commonsense reforms, which are supported by the vast majority of members of Congress across the political spectrum. Add to that these policies save taxpayers billions of dollars, and passage should be a no-brainer. We need them to put the politics aside and get this done ASAP.” Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., kicked off the fly-in on April 30, giving attendees his insights into what’s happening with PBM reform and budget reconciliation and sharing how they could most effectively reach out to their policymakers for progress. Later that day and on May 1, after being briefed by NCPA staff and other health policy experts, attendees headed to the Capitol to make their voices heard. What they discussed:   

• With patient access to pharmacy care in jeopardy, community pharmacists urged Congress to act swiftly to finalize and pass PBM reform legislation that prohibits the use of spread pricing in Medicaid managed care programs and would move to a fair and transparent pharmacy reimbursement system; requires CMS to define and enforce “reasonable and relevant” Medicare Part D contract terms, including those related to reimbursements; and ensures adequate Medicare payment for pharmacist services. 
• They also urged members of the House of Representatives to sign onto a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, led by Carter and Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., urging CMS to use its authority to ensure implementation of the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program does not rely on pharmacies to pre-fund the program. 

The next Congressional Pharmacy Fly-In is scheduled for April 15-16, 2026. 

• Related: NCPA urges DOGE to investigate PBMs.