Pharmacy Negotiations Bill Introduced

Independent community pharmacies could, under certain conditions, collectively negotiate the terms and conditions of insurance contracts they must sign with PBMs under a bill introduced by Reps. Tom Marino (R-Pa.) and Judy Chu (D-Calif.) last week. NCPA endorsed H.R. 1188, the Preserving Our Hometown Independent Pharmacies Act. NCPA CEO B. Douglas Hoey, Pharmacist, MBA, said the legislation “would help level a distorted playing field upon which billion-dollar PBM corporations often stick independent community pharmacies with one-sided, take-it-or-leave-it contracts. Unfortunately, it is often an offer that can’t be refused, as being excluded from a PBM’s pharmacy network could spell financial doom for an independent community pharmacy.”