Florida pharmacists backing PBM reform bills

State and national pharmacy groups are rallying behind two proposed bills they believe would provide transparency in drug reimbursements while limiting the auditing practices of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).

SB 1014 addresses the issue of transparency involving reimbursement for the cost of generic drugs, while SB 702 would limit the audit practices of PBMs.

“With SB 702, there can be clear guidelines of acceptable audit practices of our pharmacies. I am hopeful these guidelines will result in better health care for all Floridians,” said State Sen. Aaron Bean (R-Jacksonville), author of SB 702.

The National Community Pharmacists Association supports both bills. “When pharmacists dispense the right medication to the right patient at the right time and for the agreed-upon reimbursement, it should not be a punishable offense,” said NCPA CEO B. Douglas Hoey, RPh, MBA.

“Unfortunately, too often pharmacists are plagued both by egregious audits focused on hyper-technical clerical issues as well as losses of $60, $100 or more per prescription due to outdated reimbursement rates,” Hoey said. “Not only do these PBM practices undermine patient care, but they also siphon dollars away from local communities and send them out-of-state to Fortune 500 pharmaceutical middlemen.”