Texas
Pharmacy Association CEO Debbie Garza testified March 23
before the Texas House Insurance Committee in support of House Bill 1919,
which would prohibit pharmacy benefit managers from steering patients
to affiliated pharmacies through online or patient-specific messaging.
It would also prohibit PBMs from selling patient-specific prescription
information to third parties to use for commercial purposes.
"In recent years, pharmacies have seen
a dramatic increase in marketing tactics by PBMs aimed at taking
customers away from their local pharmacies," Garza said. "These
provisions are reasonable safeguards to ensure that patients’ best
interests are protected, and that decisions based on profits do not
overrule the choices of a patient and their healthcare providers." TPA appreciates Rep. Cody Harris for introducing this bill to
support Texas pharmacy and for recognizing how this issue affects both
patients and pharmacies across the state.
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