Tag: PBMs

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - The National Community Pharmacists Association has launched a three-day ad blitz aimed at pushing Congress to end the practice of pharmacy benefit managers that pocket savings intended for senior citizens and drive local pharmacies out of business. The ad, titled “You Should Know,” shows how PBMs negotiate discounts on expensive pharmaceuticals and then keep a chunk of the savings instead of passing it on to consumers. The ad also points out how the same PBMs steer patients...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The National Community Pharmacists Association, as part of a congressional hearing on Tuesday, submitted a statement on the record pushing the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust and Consumer Rights to scrutinize the role of vertically integrated for-profit companies that have affiliated with pharmacy benefit managers. “The ability of PBMs to game the system not only results in the closure of pharmacies in rural and underserved communities...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The National Community Pharmacists Association supports a bill in the New York state legislature that would require reimbursement to be no lower than the Medicaid fee-for-service program. Under the proposed bill, SB 6603, what a PBM reimburses pharmacies must be based on the national average drug acquisition cost (NADAC) - a simple average of the drug acquisition costs submitted by pharmacies - plus a professional dispensing fee. The professional dispensing fee is established...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The National Community Pharmacists Association supports legislation reintroduced by Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., that would require the Federal Trade Commission to study the role and recent merger activity of pharmacy benefit managers, including possible anticompetitive behavior. S. 1388, the Prescription Pricing for People Act, will bring more transparency into health care by addressing high drug costs and patient challenges, says B. Douglas...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The National Community Pharmacists Association supports legislation that would give seniors more convenient access to discounted or “preferred” co-pays for prescription drugs at their pharmacy of choice. H.R. 2608, the Ensuring Seniors Access to Local Pharmacies Act, would also empower more seniors to choose the pharmacy that best fits their needs, promote transparency so that pharmacies have a clear understanding of their reimbursement, and tackle conflicts of...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – After failing to get relief on direct and indirect remuneration fees through legislative and regulatory pathways, the National Community Pharmacists Association says it was left no choice but to file a lawsuit to stop what it says is an “existential threat” to independent pharmacies.  The lawsuit, filed in January against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, states that the fees are without reasonable transparency,...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The National Community Pharmacists Association is partnering with state pharmacy associations to educate the public, patients and policymakers on the largely unknown role played by pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, in raising drug costs, restricting patient access, and squashing local pharmacies, ultimately limiting consumer choices. “Access to pharmacies – essential businesses and health care providers – has never been more important than...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - The National Community Pharmacists Association says that a partnership between two pharmacy benefit managers will harm local pharmacies.In a letter to The National Association of Attorneys General, the NCPA asks for scrutiny of the partnership between Express Scripts and Prime Therapeutics.Express Scripts is owned by Cigna and controls prescriptions for 75 million people; Prime Therapeutics is owned by a consortium of Blue Cross Blue Shield companies and covers more than 30 million...

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn., and FLINT, Mich. - UnitedHealth Group's Optum division will pay about $300 million to buy Diplomat, a provider of specialty pharmacy and infusion services, according to news reports.Diplomat focuses on managing specialty medications, including oncology and immunology, and provides specialized infusion therapies in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.“With its focus in specialty and infusion services, Diplomat has a proven track record of solving the unique challenges facing...

WASHINGTON - National Community Pharmacists Association President Bradley Arthur testified at a Nov. 17 hearing on the “disproportionate market power” of pharmacy benefit management corporations.Arthur told members of the House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law that PBMs have “undue influence” on patients, health plans sponsor and pharmacies.Arthur, a pharmacist, is co-owner of Black Rock Pharmacy and Brighton-Eggert Pharmacy...