Dear Editor,
Living with high blood pressure is no picnic, especially when insurance companies and Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) seem to make it their jobs to make it harder for patients to access and afford the doctor-prescribed medications we need to stay healthy. It’s disappointing that Congress can’t seem to get it together to reform PBM practices that seem to only exist to boost profits while chipping away at access and driving up out-of-pocket prescription costs.
The fact that Congress couldn’t pass much-needed, bipartisan PBM reform legislation like the Delinking Revenue from Unfair Gouging (DRUG) Act last year despite growing calls from both parties to address this issue just makes the situation all the more frustrating. PBM policies like prior authorization, step therapy, and pharmacy steering all create unnecessary obstacles that can delay or deny access to life-saving drugs and treatments for patients.
These policies only serve to maximize PBM profits, regardless of how they might hurt patients. That is not how our healthcare system should work, and PBM policies should not put profits over patients. As a patient whose health and well-being rely on prescription drug access, I hope Senators Kennedy and Cassidy will push their colleagues—Democrat and Republican alike—to make PBM reform the priority it deserves to be in Congress.
George Pipher
Gretna, LA
