Letters for Thursday, December 25, 2025 |
PBM reform will put patients first again
As a family nurse practitioner, who has worked in the Capital Region and throughout the state for a decade, I know firsthand the struggles patients face in battling various illnesses.
Right now, they are fighting battles they shouldn’t have to fight, all because pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) have too much power over who gets what medicine.
PBMs profit from complexity and denying patients access to the care they need. These drug middlemen negotiate rebates with manufacturers and then refuse to pass the savings down to patients in need.
They also steer people toward higher-priced drugs because it pads their bottom line. That’s why PBM reform must be passed before Congress ends its legislative year.
We need guardrails that put patients at the center of decision-making again.
Some lawmakers keep floating the Most Favored Nation proposal as a backup plan. However, MFN doesn’t meaningfully address the problems people experience when they try to fill a prescription. Instead, it compares the United States to other countries without fixing the profit structures and access barriers that exist right here.
For New Yorkers managing diabetes, cancer, autoimmune disorders or mental health conditions, PBM reform........