Congress needs to take up PBM reform

Like many Americans I have struggled with insurers and pharmacy benefit managers just to get medications I need. I’m thankful to Pa. Attorney General Michelle Henry for joining with other state AGs to urge Congress to pass critical PBM reform legislation like the Delinking Revenue from Unfair Gouging (DRUG) Act.

It was frustrating that Congress couldn’t pass this bill last year, especially as there seemed to be support for PBM reform coming from both sides of the aisle. I’m hoping that the letter Attorney General Henry and more than three dozen other state AGs just signed onto will help ratchet the pressure up on legislators to finish what they started on PBM reform.

Through profit-driven policies like prior authorization and pharmacy steering, PBMs can dictate when and where patients can access doctor-prescribed treatments and medications. Also, practices like withholding valuable discounts and rebates on prescription drugs lead to higher out-of-pocket expenses for patients.

Lawmakers in Congress should pass the DRUG Act to help people like you and me.

Hopefully, Pennsylvania’s elected officials in Washington, including senators Fetterman and Casey Jr. will listen to Attorney General Henry’s call and help pass PBM reform in the coming weeks.

Kelly Birmingham, Langhorne

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