LETTERS TO MAGA: Louisiana Pharmacist Chimes In On Prescription Drugs!

As a pharmacist in Monroe, Louisiana, I see hundreds of patients each week come in to pick up their prescriptions.

While they are happy to receive the treatments they need, I unfortunately see all too often the financial challenges many of them face.

What may surprise you is that the ultimate culprits of high out of pocket costs are insurance companies and Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs).

For many patients, their insurance coverage is minimal even though they are paying costly premiums already and are being forced to hit their high deductibles. I see their defeated faces when I run their insurance and let them know they still owe a significant amount of money for the medications that they need.

Additionally, the practices of PBMs are just as detrimental to patients at the pharmacy counter. While PBMs work to secure rebate deals with drug manufacturers, those savings are not actually passed down to the patients as they are intended for. PBMs will actually pocket the savings, and saddle patients with higher costs when they come to pick up their prescriptions.

I urge our leaders in Congress to take a serious look at reforms in both of these industries. If we really want to lower patient costs, this is a great place to start.

Thank you,

Kathy Willard