As you may have heard, the Pharmacists Fight Back Act (PFBA) is being reintroduced this week. The legislation has been reworked as two companion bills to maximize our strategic reach. The bills are:
PFBA in Medicare and Medicaid:
Led by Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) and Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN).
PFBA in the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP):
Led by Rep. Auchincloss and Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-KY).
Both bills are designed to address unfair PBM practices that hurt pharmacies and patients, including drug pricing manipulation, patient steering to PBM-owned pharmacies, and PBM rebate games that increase costs at the pharmacy counter. The bills address issues including pharmacy reimbursement (through a NADAC + dispensing fee + 4% of ingredient costs up to $50 model); steering prohibitions and network access; rebate pass-through to patients; and strong enforcement mechanisms.
APCI’s legislative team, including VP of Healthcare Policy Greg Reybod, provided detailed analysis and real-world insight to Congressional offices throughout the policy development process, ensuring the legislation directly addresses the financial pressures patients and taxpayers face due to unchecked PBM practices.
On Thursday, Dec. 11, at 11 a.m. EST / 10 a.m. CST, Rep. Auchincloss will host a press conference on the Capitol Hill lawn to introduce the bills. The event will be livestreamed on Congressman Auchincloss’ Facebook and X feeds.
We encourage you to watch the press conference live. We are expecting more than 50 pharmacists from 20-plus states to attend and you will hear from community pharmacists from across the country tell how PBM practices are harming their businesses and communities.
But watching a press conference will not pass these bills. Please reach out to your U.S. congressman today and ask him or her to support both versions of The Pharmacists Fight Back Act. Visit bit.ly/pharmacists-fight-back to take action now!