ATAP Joins Ohio Pharmacists Association, Other Organizations in Supporting Ohio PBM Bill

ATAP joined the Ohio Pharmacists Association (OPA) and over twenty additional organizations in applauding new legislation introduced by Representative Scott Lipps (R-Franklin) and Representative Thomas West (D-Canton) that aims to end a secretive practice that is causing patients to pay more than they should at the pharmacy counter.

More specifically, the bill would prohibit the PBMs from requiring patients to pay a cost sharing amount that is greater than the pharmacy's cash price for a particular prescription drug. Second, the legislation would prohibit PBMs from including "gag clauses" in their contracts with network pharmacies, which ban or even penalize pharmacists for disclosing to their customers important cost information, including that there may be a cheaper way to get their prescription.

According to OPA Director of Government & Public Affairs Antonio Ciaccia, "the clawback is just the latest example of PBM shell game tactics that deceive patients, inflate the cost of prescription drugs, and line the pockets of administrative middlemen.  It's time to reclaim the idea that a co-pay is a shared payment; not an imposed overpayment.”

ATAP wishes to thank Representatives Lipps and West for introducing this important bill, and OPA for leading the efforts to reform the PBM industry in Ohio.  We will continue to actively support the bill as it makes its way through the legislature.  Please continue to check the ATAP websites for updates on the status of this bill and other PBM reform efforts throughout the country.