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Congressional activity on pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform was at a fevered pitch the week of September 18, with several Committees examining the issue.
The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability held the second installment in its hearing series entitled, “The Role of PBMs in Prescription Drug Markets: Not What the Doctor Ordered.” Among others, the witness panel featured the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA), which is the major PBM trade association, as well as PhRMA and the National Community Pharmacists Association. Although the Oversight Committee has helped shine a light on abusive PBM practices, the Committee has not drafted its own legislation thus far – but that may change: Chairman James Comer (R-KY) told reporters that the Committee may draft its own PBM reform bill if legislative efforts from other committees stall out.
For its part, the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee held a hearing to discuss a series of healthcare bills, including the Protecting Patients Against PBM Abuses Act (H.R.2880). That legislation is championed by Rep. Buddy Carter, Republican of Georgia, and Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, Democrat of Delaware, and includes a critical reform to delink a drug’s price from the PBM’s income. In other words, if the legislation is enacted, PBMs would have to accept flat fee payment if they want to provide services in Part D.
CSRO strongly supports this reform as it addresses one of the main perverse incentives underlying our current drug pricing system. The legislation received positive discussion at the hearing, but has not been scheduled for a markup yet. CSRO plans to engage in targeted outreach to the Committee to help ensure that the bill advances and will continue to share updates as appropriate.
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