Arlington, VA – NACDS President and CEO Steven C. Anderson today issued the following statement:
“Obviously Congress missed a tremendous chance recently to enact pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reforms in Medicare and Medicaid.
“Yet, State of the Union week – and engagement by the Biden Administration and by Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill – is demonstrating clearly that reducing Americans’ prescription drug costs and enhancing healthcare access remain top priorities.
“As seen at the White House roundtable on PBM reform earlier this week and as seen in Congressional statements about the need to advance PBM reform, the heat only is being turned up on the issue of PBM reform. This attention and swift action are needed because every day without PBM reform only sustains the PBM middlemen’s tactics that inflate drug costs, meddle with access to prescribed medications, and force pharmacy closures – all amid soaring revenues by the market-dominant PBMs. The PBMs are banking on inaction, and that is their strategy.
“Already this week NACDS and pharmacy allies have urged immediate action by the Biden Administration and by the Congress to end pharmaceutical benefit manipulation to protect all Americans and their pharmacies.
“Next week, in our grassroots advocacy event that we call NACDS RxIMPACT Day on Capitol Hill, NACDS members and our pharmacy advocates will take this critical message in-person to the Congress and to the Biden Administration. For all Americans and for the pharmacies on which they rely, the PBM reforms in Medicare and Medicaid that are ready to go in Congress define ‘must-pass legislation.’ The recent developments only are reinforcing that notion and we remain committed to advocating in support of bipartisan leaders’ work to get it done.”
