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pharmacy benefit managers

Current Rx payment system needs to be changed

Current Rx payment system needs to be changed

NEW YORK — Physicians Robin Warren and Barry Marshall were practically laughed out of health care in 1982 when they suggested that a type of bacteria might be causing stomach ulcers. It took more than a decade before their theory that treating ulcers with antibiotics to kill H. pylori bacteria was validated, and it radically

Patients, not PBMs, should choose pharmacy

Patients, not PBMs, should choose pharmacy

WASHINGTON — In recent testimony before the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) chief executive officer B. Douglas Hoey said pharmacists can drive better health outcomes and reduce costs, but first pharmacy benefit managers’ problematic business practices must be addressed through legislative and regulatory channels. As an

Senate hearing scrutinizes prescription drug costs

Senate hearing scrutinizes prescription drug costs

WASHINGTON — Pharmacy benefit managers are a key focus of debate about elevated drug pricing that has come before a U.S. Senate committee. The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) and the Senior Care Pharmacy Coalition (SCPC) called for PBM reform in written testimony submitted to a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing

What’s the story with PBMs?

What’s the story with PBMs?

A lobbying event in Washington has triggered salvoes between two combatants: independent community pharmacies and pharmacy benefit managers. The National Community Pharmacists Association is holding its Congressional Pharmacy Fly-In advocacy drive this week, where it will also release “The PBM Story: What They Say, What They Do, and What Can Be Done About It,” offered

Senator: C-THRU bill ‘shines light’ on drug pricing

Senator: C-THRU bill ‘shines light’ on drug pricing

WASHINGTON — Sen. Ron Wyden (D., Ore.) has introduced the Creating Transparency to Have Drug Rebates Unlocked Act (C-THRU), aimed at bringing more visibility into prescription drug pricing by pharmacy benefit managers. The C-THRU legislation, initiated Wednesday in the Senate Finance Committee, would require PBMs serving Medicare Part D plans to disclose the aggregate rebates

Congressmen take aim at PBMs

Congressmen take aim at PBMs

A half-dozen congressmen pointed a finger at pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) on the floor of the House of Representatives last week in an hour of comments on the high cost of prescriptions drugs, the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) said in its Executive Update e-newsletter. In the session, Reps. Doug Collins (R., Ga.), Brian Babin

Trump: ‘Drug industry has been disastrous’

Trump: ‘Drug industry has been disastrous’

Donald Trump briefly touched on the pharmaceutical industry in his first major press conference since being elected president. In the news conference yesterday at Trump Tower in Manhattan, Trump talked about drug companies relocating overseas and referred to the rising cost of pharmaceuticals. “We’ve got to get our drug industry back,” Trump said after discussing

NCPA turns spotlight on underpayment for generics

NCPA turns spotlight on underpayment for generics

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Community Pharmacists Association said it has compiled evidence that underscores the need for federal sunshine legislation to provide more insight into below-cost reimbursements from pharmacy benefit managers that don’t keep pace with rising market costs for generic drugs. NCPA said Monday that it recently asked members for examples illustrating the

CMS report challenges preferred pharmacy access

WASHINGTON — Preferred pharmacies for Medicare Part D drug plans are more accessible in suburbs and rural areas than in cities, a study by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has found. “While we appreciate the importance of providing lower costs to beneficiaries, these findings reinforce CMS’ concern that plans are offering access

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