Taking a Stand for Patients
Who We Are
The Alliance for Transparent & Affordable Prescriptions (ATAP) is a coalition of patient and provider organizations functioning at both the state and national level who have joined together to address pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and their impact on prescription drug costs and patient access to affordable treatment.
The Alliance for Transparent and Affordable Prescriptions (ATAP) consists of twenty-three patient and provider groups who are concerned about the role pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) play in our drug supply chain. As prescribers and patients, we have seen firsthand the negative effect that some of the business practices of PBMs are having on patients’ ability to access needed medications. As such, we strongly support Section 306 (“Health Plan Oversight of Pharmacy Benefit Manager Services”) of S. 1895 as reported out of the HELP Committee.
"Harry Gewanter, M.D., of the Alliance for Transparent & Affordable Prescriptions explained that the “extremely opaque, extremely complex” drug supply chain is part of the problem. Pharmacy benefit managers, the middlemen who manage prescription drug benefits for major health plans, exacerbate the issue. PBMs may make coverage decisions based on what’s financially advantageous to them through the drug rebate system – even if those decisions put patients at risk by complicating access to medicine that prevents heart attack, stroke and death."
