Today is an incredibly important day for the future of healthcare in Arkansas. The hearing for House Bill HB1150 on April 2nd, 2025 could ignite change for the entire nation, and we wanted to make sure you're aware of the impact your support is having.
Legislators will be holding a hearing to discuss a critical issue: the monopolization of our healthcare system by Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) that are owned by insurance companies. After, there will be a vote. These PBMs have been forcing patients to use their own mail-order pharmacies, limiting choices, driving up costs, and reducing the quality of care for Arkansans. We need all who live in Arkansas to call and email their legislators in Arkansas and tell them to support HB1150.
This hearing is a key step toward protecting our local healthcare providers and ensuring that patients have access to a broader range of pharmacy options. By supporting legislation that would stop this harmful practice of insurance companies' PBMs steering to pharmacies that they own, we can help reduce unnecessary barriers and restore choice and fairness.
Your advocacy and voice have been instrumental in bringing this issue to light, and today, we stand on the brink of making real change. We need you to continue your support by sharing your thoughts with lawmakers, staying informed, and spreading the word to fellow Arkansans about the importance of this hearing.
The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA), which is the lobbying association for the insurance companies' pharmacy benefit managers is trying to use scare tactics to stop this legislation from moving forward.
We haven't forgotten about PCMA's prior scare tactics. Remember at the start of our advocacy, PCMA posted ads under (State Name) for Affordable Medications, and warned people and legislators that drug prices would increase if patients were allowed to be told that the cash price of the drug is lower than the copay. This was called a gag clause. Legislators stopped believing it and voted to remove gag clauses. Now, many are able to go around their insurance and pay the cash price that is sometimes thousands of dollars lower than their copay. We must ask legislators to not forget the lies and scare tactics of PCMA and push for this legislation in Arkansas.
Thank you for your continued commitment to this fight. Today, we make a difference!
Lives depend on ending this monopolization of the healthcare, pharmacy, and pharmaceutical industry.
Sincerely,
Loretta Boesing, Patient Advocate