Rep. Buddy Carter, pharmacists call for reform

Rep. Buddy Carter and some pharmacists call for prescription reform

Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) and FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson met with independent pharmacists to discuss their concerns over PBMs. Pharmacy Business Managers are the middlemen in the pharmaceutical industry. Pharmacists claim PBMs are hurting their bottom line.

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - A group of independent pharmacists met with Congressman Buddy Carter and FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson at the Briarcliff Pharmacy on Clairmont Road Tuesday.

What they're saying:

Pharmacist Jonathan Marquess explained how pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, are cutting into their bottom line.

"Every day drugs go out the door at a loss," Marquess explained.

Dig deeper:

PBMs are the middlemen of the prescription drug world.

They decide what drugs consumers can get, how much they'll pay, negotiate prices with drug companies and determine how much a  pharmacy earns on each prescription.

What they're saying:

Carter said a handful of PBMs are controlling drug pricing, and independent pharmacists  often get reimbursed less than what it costs them to fill a prescription.

The Republican Senate candidate has introduced legislation to reform PBM practices. The bill aims to increase transparency, prevent PBMs from spreading pricing, ensure fair compensation for pharmacies and hold PBMs accountable for their role in rising prescription drug costs.

"PBMs are squeezing particularly independent pharmacies out of business," said Carter. "We just saw some examples here where the cost of the medication is 10 dollars, and they are being reimbursed 5 dollars. You can't keep the doors open if you're doing that."

The other side:

Democratic Party of Georgia Senior Communications Advisor Devon Cruz reacted to Congressman Carter's visit in a written statement today saying:

"After saying he was ‘very proud’ to chair the subcommittee that approved over $800 billion in cuts to Medicaid and ripped away insurance for 750,000 Georgians.

Buddy Carter has zero credibility claiming he’s done anything to make healthcare more affordable for Georgia families."