Dear editor,
My grandmother suffers from high blood pressure, and it can often be challenging for her to access the care she needs. After reading a recent New York Times article detailing the abuse of middlemen known as pharmacy benefit managers, I was shocked by the tactics these groups use to prioritize their profits over patient access.
These middlemen, known as PBMs for short, implement anti-patient practices to cut the cost of their “services,” despite their negative impact on the well-being of patients. Even if a patient is prescribed a specific medication by their doctor, PBMs can deny the treatment if it is not optimal for their bottom-line. As nearly anyone who’s taken prescription medication knows, treatments work differently for everyone, and it shouldn’t be the prerogative of big PBM corporations to interfere with this care.
Thankfully, lawmakers can change this by passing legislation like the DRUG Act, which could prevent the abusive practices that make it more difficult for patients to receive the care they need.
I hope Senator Padilla and the rest of our state’s Congressional delegation will work to pass this legislation this session. Patients like my grandmother have waited long enough.
Juan Vicencio
