Louisiana Independent Pharmacies Association

Last week at NCPA's Congressional Pharmacy Fly-In, our Louisiana delegation had the opportunity to meet with @SpeakerJohnson. Mr. Speaker, thank you for helping pass PBM reform and supporting community pharmacists and our patients!

The Louisiana House passed HB1236 102-0 today, a unanimous statement in support of local pharmacies and patient access. The bill requires PBMs to reimburse local pharmacies at least NADAC plus Louisiana’s Medicaid dispensing fee ($11.81). If NADAC doesn’t cover the pharmacy’s cost, the PBM has to pay the difference. LIPA thanks Rep. Jason DeWitt for authoring this legislation and appreciates every member of the House that voted yes. Onto the senate! See below for the full bill. #LaLege

Thank you @AGLizMurrill for protecting Louisiana patients and communities

🚨Today I'm announcing the resolution of three separate lawsuits filed against CVS Health and its related pharmacy benefit manager subsidiary, resulting in a significant financial recovery for the State of Louisiana and its taxpayers. These cases involved conduct directly impacting Louisiana citizens. Rather than prolonging litigation, which could have extended several years, we worked with @CVSHealth to reach a resolution that serves the best interests of Louisiana. The funds will be used to further ensure accountability in pharmaceutical pricing and PBM industry practices. aglizmurrill.com/Article/430

Thanks, @LeaderJohnThune. You're right that drug costs are crushing families.   @POTUS just signed my PBM reform into law to rein in corporate middlemen and ensure discounts help PATIENTS, not profits. This bill lowers prices at the pharmacy counter and puts Americans first.

We have to fix this. Our independent pharmacies are on the line.

State Rep. Michael Echols continues to lead the charge against PBM abuses, fighting to ensure the reforms passed into law during last year's regular legislative session are enforced and pharmacies are reimbursed for the real cost of acquiring and dispensing medications to patients in their communities. Independent pharmacies deserve fairness, not empty promises. Thank you @MichaelEchols for being a staunch advocate for Louisiana's independent pharmacies! youtube.com/watch?v=wctNTX…

🚨PBM reform is headed to the President’s desk. After Senate passage last week, the U.S. House has now approved the package by a vote of 217-214. The PBM provisions include delinking PBM compensation tied to drug utilization, directing CMS to establish reasonable Part D contract standards, and designating "essential retail pharmacies" in underserved areas. Thank you to our leaders in D.C. for getting these provisions across the finish line. This is great progress, but there is still work to be done to rein in pharmacy middlemen and make prescription drugs more affordable for all Americans.

A Caremark executive admitted patients can still use an independent pharmacy, it just may cost them more. That’s not choice. That’s financial coercion. 3/3

OptumRx’s president claimed PBMs “deliver more than $2,000 per person on average drug savings." If this was true would PBMs prefer higher-cost brand drugs over cheaper generics because brands generate larger rebates, even when patients pay more? 2/3

“Letting the consumer pick their services wherever they want will drive up healthcare costs” is blatantaly false. Patient choice lowers costs by preventing PBMs from steering care to their own pharmacies and protecting profit margins instead of patient care. See below for more. 1/3

Power, profit, and control—that’s what big health insurance companies gain when they use vertical integration to manipulate the health care supply chain. During his time as a physician, @RepJohnJoyce saw firsthand how destructive vertical integration was for patients’ medical bills. 💵 ⬇️ WATCH ⬇️

Click the link below to watch the full PBM Monitoring Advisory Council hearing from this morning. senate.la.gov/s_video/VideoA…

Caremark VP on specialty medications and patient steering to affiliated pharmacies: 2/3

OptumRx President on why high-cost brands are preferred on its formularies over more affordable generic alternatives: 1/3

🚨 CALL TO ACTION: Congress is on the verge of passing the biggest reform to Medicare Part D in the past 20 years with the inclusion of language requiring CMS to define and enforce reasonable and relevant contract terms, including those related to reimbursements. Urge your policymakers to support this language through NCPA's Legislative Action Center! ncpa.org/legislative-ac…

Welcomed a great group of independent pharmacists from Louisiana to my office on their trip to DC last week!

Louisiana made the right call. Ensuring Medicaid patients have access to care requires standing up to predatory PBM tactics. Transparency and fair dealing help protect care in communities across our state. This is a step forward for patients. @LAGovJeffLandry @AGLizMurrill wdsu.com/article/louisi…