Please pass PBM reform now to help protect patients

Dear [Legislator],

I urge you to please pass pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform to rein in harmful PBM practices and create meaningful changes that could help patients better afford their medicine. Patients can’t afford to wait any longer for this legislation to pass. We need PBM reform now!

An investigation from the New York Times recently revealed that “the largest PBMs often act in their own financial interests, at the expense of patients.” This includes:

• Pushing patients toward drugs with higher out-of-pocket costs.
• Overcharging on drugs.
• Delaying or even preventing patients from getting medicine.

Under the current system, insurers and PBMs hold significant power in controlling the cost of medicines for customers. Together, they negotiate rebates with pharmaceutical companies to lower drug prices, but patients aren’t seeing those discounts at the pharmacy counter. Instead of passing rebates on to their customers, PBMs are profiting off these savings. As a result, patients often end up paying more for their medicine than their insurer does.

Please mark up and move PBM reform legislation out of committee as soon as possible so we can rein in this abusive practice and help patients access their life-saving treatments.

Thank you,

[Advocate name]