In Dr. Jay Patel’s recent commentary, he mentions important points on how we can help patients against pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) at the pharmacy counter (“The middlemen pocket more money than the pharmaceutical companies,” April 21 ).
His message to encourage our leaders to fix our health care system to benefit patients and not PBMs is something we support strongly. Our nonprofit organization, Christian Coalition of Delmarva, understands Dr. Patel’s views and wants to advocate for Delawarean patients and seniors. He highlights in his piece legislation by Sens. Tom Carper and Chris Coons, both D-Del., to inject transparency among PBMs and reduce premiums to pass savings on to patients. We wholeheartedly agree!
For too long, our health care system has benefited middlemen and insurers to the detriment of patients. If PBMs negotiated over $187 billion in discounts from manufacturers in 2020 alone, the savings should have been passed along to consumers. Exactly how much went toward reducing patients’ total out-of-pocket spending is shrouded in mystery. Delawareans continue to pay too much at the pharmacy counter for drugs they need and do not reap the benefits they deserve.
We want to reemphasize that we encourage our leaders to continue to implement legislation to fix this unfair system we have in place that benefits entities, like PBMs, and not the patient. Delawareans have experienced year-after-year increasing drug costs, and we need to act now on PBM reform. Patients deserve less expensive medication, and reforms need to happen now.
The Rev. Robert Hall
Executive director, Christian Coalition of Delmarva
Wilmington
