I'm a little busy putting on protests at PBM headquarters, finding cosponsors for HR 9096, making statements at committee hearings, organizing pharmacists to target bottlenecks holding up state legislation, keeping my store afloat, raising a one year old little girl, hosting an industry podcast, and numerous things I can't publicly talk about. But sure, when I want to waste my time in a scope of practice circle jerk, maybe APhA might be worth my time.

My comments at the FTC meeting this morning: PBMs were given a market advantage via a kickback exemption that is being leveraged up and down not only the drug pricing chain, but the entire healthcare industry. Within vertically integrated PBMs, these rebates act as a fulcrum during negotiations in ways it was never intended to. When coupled with the opaqueness of their "proprietary" drug pricing, rebates act as cover for healthcare conglomerates to move money from one hand to the other to avoid scrutiny. It is the primary mechanism in a shell game that is destroying the pharmacy and healthcare infrastructure of this country. PBMs drive the cost of medication up and price gouge plan sponsors in a coordinated and complex way, as demonstrated in the 3 Axis and interim reports. To perpetuate this scam, conglomerates make it cost inhibitive for plan sponsors to opt out of the PBM mail order plans, forcing patients into their corporate silo and leaving smaller pharmacies, plans, and PBMs unable to compete. PBMs present this fraud with misleading metrics that imply “savings” for plan sponsors that are anything but. Conglomerate power and control of the system leave pharmacies helpless when presented contract terms featuring underwater reimbursement rates, predatory fees and recoupment methods, and a forced arbitration clause that demands pharmacies arbitrate individually at a cost of over six figures if they wish to challenge reimbursement. If pharmacies say anything about these abusive terms to the media or plan sponsors, they are threatened to be removed from conglomerate networks. Vertically integrated conglomerates are selling non-solutions to problems they create in a deceptive and forceful way. This is the most complex case of racketeering in the history of our country. No entity should be given a market advantage with little to no oversight or accountability, especially when it has been proven to be so thoroughly abused I call upon the FTC to seek elimination of the PBM and GPO kickback exemption, enforce the Robinson Patman Act to ensure transparent drug pricing and sustainable reimbursement, and negate the arbitration and gag clauses of PBM contracts so that pharmacies can demand in court that they be made whole. #Pharmacy #TwitteRx