November 17, 2015

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Collins Highlights Anticompetitive Behavior

of Pharmacy Benefit Managers

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, in a House Judiciary Committee hearing examining “The State of Competition in the Pharmacy Benefits Manager and Pharmacy Marketplaces”, Congressman Doug Collins questioned witnesses about anticompetitive behavior by Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) and the resulting devastating impact on independent and community pharmacies, and the families they serve.

Community Pharmacies are on the healthcare frontlines in rural communities such as Northeast Georgia. Consolidation in the PBM Marketplace and the lack of transparency in the dealings between PBMs and community pharmacies has resulted in local pharmacies closing their doors for good. Congressman Collins and 30 of his colleagues have advocated transparency requirements for PBMs contained in H.R. 244, the “MAC Transparency Act”. This hearing was an important first step to level the playing field in the pharmacy marketplace, and brought to light the need for immediate Congressional action.