SCPC Praises Bipartisan House Passage of PBM Rebate Transparency Bills

DATE: October 31, 2019

Washington, DC –The Senior Care Pharmacy Coalition (SCPC) today praised bipartisan passage of two bills in the U.S. House of Representatives to expand data disclosure from pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) middlemen as the national long term care (LTC) pharmacy advocacy group pursues one of its key goals of enhancing transparency and accountability across the entire prescription drug supply chain.

“Rep. Buddy Carter’s congressional track record of boosting public access to PBM drug pricing data and his ongoing effort to shed light on how they manipulate the pharmaceutical market and consumers is exemplary,” stated Alan G. Rosenbloom, President and CEO of SCPC.

Carter’s bill, H.R. 1781, the Payment Commission Data Act of 2019, provides the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) and Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) increased access to PBM rebate and drug pricing data to help Congress and the public better understand how the pharmaceutical marketplace is operating.

Rep. Spanberger’s legislation, H.R. 2115, the Public Disclosure of Drug Discounts and Real-Time Beneficiary Drug Cost Act, requires the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to publicly post aggregate rebate data from Medicare and Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchange plans on a drug class level. Her bill also requires Medicare Part D plans to share information with patients related to how much they will pay for a specific drug, and what alternatives would cost.

“Increased transparency on patients’ out-of-pocket costs at different pharmacies may have the effect of increasing competition and helping seniors by reducing drug costs, better enabling them to sustain their regimen and maintain their health,” Rosenbloom observed.

Both bills, he pointed out, will advance SCPC’s objective of greater transparency, expanded consumer access, and lower drug costs while supporting a more competitive marketplace for independent LTC pharmacies.

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The Senior Care Pharmacy Coalition (SCPC) is the only national organization exclusively representing the interests of LTC pharmacies. Its members operate in all 50 states and serve 850,000 patients daily in skilled nursing and assisted living facilities across the country. Visit seniorcarepharmacies.org to learn more.