NCPA posts PBM satire featuring fictional PBM rep 'Phil Mypockets'

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Community Pharmacists Association on Wednesday posted a video and website satirizing pharmacy benefit managers at WhoRunsMyDrugPlan.com.

“Too many plan sponsors, policy-makers and patients remain unaware of how large pharmacy benefit managers affect their prescription drug benefit and their healthcare premiums,” stated NCPA CEO Douglas Hoey. “For too long, the PBM industry has benefitted from a lack of oversight and regulation, which has eroded the value of the prescription drug benefit to consumers. We have seen prescription drug costs rise, insurance premiums and patient co-payments increase, higher PBM profits and diminished patient choice — while reimbursement to pharmacy small business owners for providing prescription drug services continues to decline. It’s fair to ask: Where’s the money going?”

WhoRunsMyDrugPlan.com answers the basic question, “What is a PBM?” and explains cost-inflating PBM practices under such titles as “Spread Pricing,” “Rebate Pumping,” “Restricting Patient Choice,” “Mail Order False Economics” and “Mail Order Is Not For Everyone.” The site also provides a “take action” page for patients and health plan sponsors, as well as a resources page linking to other websites, including those of consumer advocates that have expressed similar concerns with PBMs.

“These new online resources are intended to help enable plan sponsors, policy-makers and patients to further examine these issues and to insist on meaningful reforms,” Hoey added. “Simply put, the outdated drug benefit business model of today should be replaced with health plan designs that are aligned to the interests of payers and patients, while properly utilizing pharmacists to reduce costs and improve health outcomes.”

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