Pharmacy Owners Need Help In The Fight Against Big PBM's

The time has come for drug wholesalers, GPO’s and others who sell to and care about community pharmacy to provide their customers with the tools they need to win over the support of consumers and employers in the fight against unreasonable PBM practices.  While the PBM’s may have the money to hire lobbyists, retail pharmacy has a much more powerful tool, the ability to win-over voters.   

This new approach needs to provide pharmacies with flyers, counter cards, brochures, sample letters, newspaper ad slicks, press releases, letters to the editor and other communications tools.  Pharmacy personnel would then be able to put them in the hands of their patients, employers and the local media.  The materials need to be colorful, have a captivating headline and be customized with the names and email addresses of the state and national legislators in their area.  The information would speak to the interest of consumers and employers by documenting how the companies that provide their prescription insurance coverage are grossly over charging them and denying consumers access to the medication their physician feels is most appropriate.

What these materials actually say and how they are designed will require the best thinking of advertising professionals.  But what is clear is that consumer and employers need to have clear cut examples of how PBM rebates, formulary restrictions and other unethical practices negatively affect them.   It is only when they understand this at the personal level will they speak up in large numbers and demand action from their elected representatives, regulators and health insurance companies.  W need to provide pharmacies with the information and the tools they need to help make that happen.

In order for pharmacy to meet the healthcare needs of our country we need to do more and we need to do it more effectively.  That not only means providing new and more healthcare services.  It also means finding ways to engage consumers and employers in the fight to overcome the negative effects of PBM counter-productive practices.  We can, indeed, we must, find ways to get consumers and employers to join us in this fight.