As both a retired health care professional and a cardiac patient, I hope our leaders in Congress will support efforts to reform the harmful practices that insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) use to undermine access and increase prescription out-of-pocket fees. If Congress passes one bill to open this session, it should be a PBM reform bill that protects patients like me. 

PBMs are increasingly using harmful, overly restrictive policies to dictate when and where—and sometimes even if—patients can access the critical care they need. These insurer-owned companies shouldn’t be able to interfere in the medical decisions made by doctors and health care professionals just to help them cut costs and maximize profits. 

I also find it outrageous that PBMs have collected billions of dollars’ worth of prescription drug rebates from manufacturers over the years, and yet patients rarely see any benefit from these savings. Lawmakers should work to increase transparency into PBM practices so these groups can’t hide how much of the savings they steal from patients by withholding these rebates. 

I urge our leaders to support and help push their colleagues to pass PBM reform that fixes this unjust rebate system and strengthens patient access to care.  

Veronica Comfort
Fogelsville, PA