Pharmacy Benefit Managers.
What was once a term for healthcare
insiders is now commonly heard
when discussing healthcare reform.
I'm Marissa Wochik, Here and
Now series producer and multimedia
journalist.
A five-part series called RX
Uncovered looks at why we
can't afford life-saving medication.
These pharmacy benefit managers
or PBMs act as middlemen
between drug manufacturers,
wholesalers, insurance companies,
and pharmacies.
They're actually adversely driving
up the cost of drugs and
controlling whether or not you
get the medication that's been
prescribed to you.
Undercut pharmacies with low
reimbursements, and pharmacies
are going out of business because of
it.
They'll claim that the negotiate
with drug manufacturers and
pharmacies reduce overall
prescription drug costs.
However, despite these claims, PBMs
regularly inflate what patients pay
and force pharmacies to operate a
loss.
No matter who's to blame, the
patient usually suffers.
In REX uncovered,
we look at why your local pharmacist
is an important part of your medical
care team and why they're going
out of business.
Find more at pbswisconsin.org.