Insight - Fall 2020

Fall 2020 | 7 Pharmacy Groups React to Supreme Court PBM Ruling The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA ® ) and the Arkansas Pharmacists Association (APA), alongside the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) and the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA), today applauded the Supreme Court for hearing Rutledge v. Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA). This historic case seeks to clarify whether states can regulate pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), the controversial middlemen that manage prescription drug benefits for health insurers, Medicare Part D drug plans, and large employers. “Independent pharmacies serve as a vital safety net for patient care in communities across the country,” said B. Douglas Hoey, NCPA CEO. “This has never been truer than throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Yet PBMs have been dodging oversight for years while raking in record profits. For patients, that’s resulted in fewer health care choices and increased out- of-pocket costs. For community pharmacies, the lack of oversight holds them hostage to inflexible, one-sided contracts causing many of these small businesses to close their doors forever. We’re optimistic the Supreme Court will agree that PBMs do not get to act with impunity from state and federal law and will issue a ruling enabling states to protect their local businesses and their patients.” At the heart of Rutledge v. PCMA is whether states can enact regulations that affect PBMs, who argue they are exempt by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) of 1974. The case originated in Arkansas, which passed a law in 2015 prohibiting PBMs from reimbursing local pharmacies at a lower rate than what the pharmacies pay to fill the prescriptions. The PBM lobby, PCMA, challenged the law in court, which is when the pharmacy groups joined efforts to ensure the 2015 precedent stands. The case was originally scheduled to be argued in April but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The case will be decided in early spring 2021. Source: APhA Surgeon General: Pharmacists Key to Hypertension Management Pharmacists play a unique and important role in helping treat hypertension. That’s the finding included in a 52-page report released by the U.S. Surgeon General. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Control Hypertension recently, citing pharmacists as integral members of the hypertension care team. “They can educate patients as part of medication therapy management, which includes services that help patients take medications as directed by their clinical team. This approach has been shown to improve medication adherence.” Of crucial importance, the report highlights community pharmacies’ and pharmacists’ unique and critical role when it comes to improving hypertension control and supporting patients nationwide. Read the report at cdc.gov/ bloodpressure/docs/SG-CTA-HTN- Control-Report.pdf . Source: National Association of Chain Drug Stores