CONGRESSMAN BISHOP SUPPORTS BIPARTISAN BILL TO REIN IN PRESCRIPTION DRUG COSTS, PROTECT SMALL PHARMACIES VITAL TO RURAL AMERICA

WATCH: Congressman Bishop's Remarks(link is external)

America's seniors, active-duty service members, national guard/reserve members, military retirees, medal of honor recipients, and federal employees/retirees will see their drug costs lowered, and their choice of pharmacy protected via this bill.

Joining members of Congress were pharmacists from across the country, including Vic Johnson, owner of Living Well Pharmacy in Augusta and Nikki Bryant, owner of Adams Family Pharmacy in Preston.

WATCH: Nikki Bryant's Remarks(link is external)

WATCH: Vic Johnson's Remarks(link is external)

Bil and Sharon Schmidtknecht of Wisconsin, also spoke at the event. They are the parents of Cole Schmidtknecht who passed away when a PBM increased the price of his necessary daily asthma medication to nearly the same price as his rent.

The Federal Trade Commission launched an investigation into PBMs in 2022. In July 2024, it published its interim report(link is external) which found that the six largest PBMs in the U.S.-Caremark, Express Scripts, OptumRx, Humana, Prime Therapeutics, and MedImpact-had come to manage nearly 95% of all scripts filled in the United States. Using "vertical integration," these six PBMs had come to own or be owned by or otherwise linked to some of the largest health plans or pharmacies in the nation.

The report went on to show exactly how this monopolistic situation affects independent pharmacies and their customers. According to the report, the largest PBMs often "exercise significant power over" drug availability and cost and which pharmacies Americans choose to use―while steering people toward larger pharmacies. By prioritizing chain pharmacies, PBMs put forward contract terms that can harm independent pharmacies by cutting into their payment. They can also harm customers by limiting access to lower-cost generic competitor drugs.

H.R. 9096, the Pharmacists Fight Back Act(link is external), addresses prescription drug coverage in federal programs such as Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage Plans, Medicaid managed care, Tricare, and the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program. It proposes a transparent reimbursement model for federal programs that bans spread pricing and caps costs for patients. In addition, it prohibits PBMs from "steering" patients to specific pharmacies by allowing beneficiaries to use any in-network pharmacy.

The bill also prohibits PBMs from requiring a beneficiary to use a branded drug when there is a less expensive generic alternative available, among other provisions. The legislation makes it a felony with a $1,000,000 fine for each violation of the act. Finally, it empowers patients by allowing individuals to take civil action against PBMs that breach provisions in this bill.

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PHOTO CAPTION: Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr., (GA-02) discusses H.R. 9096, the Pharmacists Fight Back Act with reporters in front of the U.S. Capitol.

PHOTOS CAPTION: Nikki Bryant, owner of Adams Family Pharmacy in Preston, and Vic Johnson, Vic Johnson, owner of Living Well Pharmacy in Augusta, speak to reporters about the effects that PBMs have had on pharmacists like them.