ARLINGTON, Va. — NACDS is engaging in all branches of Oklahoma’s government to stand up for the bipartisan Patient’s Right to Pharmacy Choice Act – enacted in 2019.

NACDS president and CEO Steven Anderson said, “As in other states, the PBM industry has demonstrated it will try to attack Oklahoma reform laws in the legislature, in the courts, and in the court of public opinion. NACDS’ message to Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready, Attorney General Gentner Drummond, and Oklahoma legislators is to continue to stand up for Oklahomans in the face of ‘pharmaceutical benefit manipulation’ in all its forms.”

NACDS uses a PBM reform “explainer video” that includes customized content unique to a particular state. The Oklahoma video salutes the state government for sending the message to the PBM industry that it must comply with PBM reform laws. In addition, NACDS and allied pharmacy groups have taken action – including most recently in an October 2022 brief – to defend the Patient’s Right to Pharmacy Choice Act against a lawsuit by the PBM industry.

Anderson noted, “We know from a poll conducted by Morning Consult and commissioned by NACDS that 79 percent of Oklahoma adults say pharmacists are ‘very credible’ or ‘somewhat credible’ sources when it comes to information about how to save money on prescription drugs – ranking them highest among those tested. Also, 86 percent of Oklahoma adults say it is ‘very easy’ or ‘somewhat easy’ to access pharmacies – ranking them the most accessible healthcare destinations tested. NACDS is committed to bringing the trusted voice of pharmacy to the defense of laws like the Patient’s Right to Pharmacy Choice Act that puts patients over PBM profits.”

NACDS is working at the federal and state levels to confront PBM practices that force patients and others to pay more for their medicines, that limit patients’ access to their pharmacist, that restrict patients’ access to the medicines right for them, and that jeopardize the pharmacies on which patients rely. NACDS’ pro-patient and pro-pharmacy Principles of PBM Reform include the following:

• Stop explosive retroactive fees
• Stop below-cost reimbursement
• Stop gaming of performance measures
• Stop ‘specialty definitions’ from steering patients from their pharmacy
• Stop mandatory mail order
• Stop limited networks
• Stop overwhelming audits
• Stop the undercutting of PBM reform laws.

“NACDS’ work in an array of states has shown that PBM reform is far from done when a law is enacted. We are here to stand up for the leaders who stand up for patients, pharmacies, employers, taxpayers, communities, and the entire state by enacting, implementing, enforcing, and defending PBM reform laws,” Anderson said.