Washington, DC — Iowa Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks says it’s time to crack down on the business practices of Pharmacy Benefit Managers or PBMs.
PBMs negotiate the prices of medications on behalf of insurers. Miller-Meeks and other critics say PBMs drive down the prices paid to the pharmacies that fill prescriptions in order to pocket a bigger cut of the insurance payout.
Miller-Meeks is among a large, bipartisan group of lawmakers from the US House and Senate who are calling for passage of a bill before Congress adjourns for the year.
Miller-Meeks backs legislation that would prohibit PBMs from forcing patients to use a certain pharmacy rather than the one that’s closest to them. It would also ban PBMs from paying lower rates to independent pharmacies than they pay affiliated pharmacies for the same services.
