rich 1.0 Action Network https://actionnetwork.org <link href='https://actionnetwork.org/css/style-embed-v3.css' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' /><script src='https://actionnetwork.org/widgets/v6/letter/support-hb-192-community-pharmacy-protection-act?format=js&source=widget'></script><div id='can-letter-area-support-hb-192-community-pharmacy-protection-act' style='width: 100%'><!-- this div is the target for our HTML insertion --></div> Ohio Pharmacists Association https://actionnetwork.org/groups/ohio-pharmacists-association https://can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/letters/photos/000/438/948/normal/OPA_Action_Alert_(1).png House Bill 192, Community Pharmacy Protection Act: What? So What? Now What? What Will Happen Under HB 192? Access – Pharmacy closures will stop as insurance middlemen—pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs)—will be required to pay pharmacies fairly: at least cost of the drug + a labor/overhead fee. Defense – PBMs will no longer be able to retaliate against pharmacies through contract exclusions, unfair standards, or unreasonable audits. Choice – Restricts insurance from treating affiliated pharmacies more favorably than others, giving pharmacy choice back to patients. Transparency – PBMs must create online price checkers for patients and cost reports to insurance payers to justify and explain their pricing procedures. So What? Why do Ohio community pharmacies need protection? Pharmacies are going out of business, creating pharmacy deserts and threatening patient access to medications. The Ohio Board of Pharmacy reported 223 retail pharmacies closed in the last two years alone. Ohio has 21% fewer pharmacies than a decade ago. How are patient costs and pharmacy reimbursements determined currently? Pharmacies don’t set prices, insurance middlemen (PBMs) do. They are supposed to fairly negotiate and move money between the patient, pharmacies, and insurance. Instead, they often pay pharmacies so little that the pharmacies lose money for providing medication, driving them out of business. Through lack of transparency, nothing stops PBMs from pocketing the difference when they skew these deals. How will pharmacy reimbursements improve under HB 192? PBMs will be required to pay the pharmacy at least the cost of the drug plus a fee for the labor and overhead of dispensing a prescription—a reasonable pricing model used in virtually every industry. Will patients’ costs increase because of HB 192? No, PBMs already collect sufficient funds to cover the costs of drugs and dispensing fees but, due to their opaque and anti-competitive practices, those funds often don't get to the pharmacy. HB 192 ensures pharmacies get paid for their work to help patients. Now What? Make your voice heard Use this form to write a letter to your Ohio representative asking them to support HB 192. https://actionnetwork.org/letters/support-hb-192-community-pharmacy-protection-act