The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) has responded to the U.S. House of Representatives’ recent passage of a spending bill that contains provisions aimed at reforming pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) practices within Medicare Part D. The bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to establish clear contract terms for pharmacies and implement a process allowing them to report contract violations.
Anne Cassity, NCPA’s senior vice president of government affairs, commented on the development: “Though scrutiny into their business practices has intensified in recent years, PBM-insurers have managed to get away with anticompetitive, harmful business practices for far too long. The PBM reforms included in this package – the first major PBM reform in Medicare Part D to pass in nearly 20 years – are as welcomed as they are long overdue.”
Cassity also expressed appreciation for congressional support and advocacy from independent pharmacies: “We’re grateful to the pharmacy champions in Congress who have continued pushing for this language to advance, and to the many independent pharmacy allies and advocates who have participated in this fight. We need to get this through the Senate and to the president’s desk as quickly as possible, so independent pharmacies and the patients they treat can have the relief from PBM manipulations they so desperately need.”
To advocate for these reforms, NCPA relaunched its Finish the Fight campaign last December. The initiative uses digital advertising tools designed to mobilize patients and independent pharmacy supporters during legislative deliberations. Since relaunching, over 10,000 letters have been sent to Congress backing NCPA’s priorities; in 2024 alone, more than 80,000 messages were submitted.
NCPA represents over 18,900 community pharmacies nationwide and employs more than 235,000 individuals across the country. More information about NCPA is available at www.ncpa.org.
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