Q&A: How Iowa PBM Bill is Set to Preserve Pharmacy Access
Brett Barker, PharmD, State Representative in Iowa’s 51st District, joined Drug Topics to discuss significant implications and common misconceptions regarding Iowa’s new PBM bill.
As state-level pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform continues to heat up in various states, one of the most recent states to enact legislation was Iowa with its Senate File 383. Since its signing in June,1 however, a federal judge halted the bill and impeded it from being enacted on July 1.2
While stakeholders continue to deliberate on the bill’s provisions, the temporary hold is set to be lifted after a July 14 hearing. In the meantime, Drug Topics caught up with one of the bill’s curators, Brett Barker, PharmD, State Representative in Iowa’s 51st District.
“We have data from all across the country, state after state after state have done these reforms and shown that they're able to maintain pharmacy access and preserve pharmacy access,” he said. “At the same time, they're saving costs in the system. Anyone in the pharmacy space understands that is the result of this.”
Drug Topics caught up with one of SF 383's curators, Brett Barker, PharmD, State Representative in Iowa’s 51st District. | image credit: InfiniteStudio / stock.adobe.com
Read through part 2 of our conversation with Barker as he discusses the common sentiments opposers of the bill typically present, as well as the specific legislative provisions that are designed to increase medication access and support community pharmacies through Senate File 383.
READ MORE: Iowa Bill Adding Transparency, Accountability to PBM Practices
Drug Topics: Of all the provisions listed under Senate File 383, which ones do you believe will benefit community pharmacies in Iowa the most?
Brett Barker: Our bill does a lot of things. One, it adds transparency to the system. It has a predictable payment model. It makes sure that patients ultimately get to choose their care provider. We make sure the dollars flow through the system to impact the patient as much as possible. There's buy-now premium or copay at that level. Then, it also makes pharmacies full and makes sure we get paid what it costs us to put the drugs on our shelves. Those are kind of the 4 legs of the stool here of this piece of legislation.
For me, I'm really excited about patient choice. How many times, as pharmacists, do we have to have long-time patients go somewhere else for care where we know they're not going to get the same level of care that we provide? It allows us to compete on service, rather than on PBM contracts. [It’s] also making sure that we're made whole. Right now, pharmacy has been death by a thousand cuts. We have to stop that bleeding. We have to get paid what it costs us to order drugs. Those are 2 really important pieces of the legislation.
Drug Topics: While the bill was designed to limit the control of PBMs in Iowa, some opposing stakeholders are saying the bill can drive up medication costs and negatively impact the health of Iowa citizens. How would you respond to those sentiments?
Brett Barker: It's just, frankly, not true. When I've continued to ask, ‘Show me a place where this has happened,’ and they can't. On the flip side, we have data from all across the country, state after state after state have done these reforms and shown that they're able to maintain pharmacy access and preserve pharmacy access. At the same time, they're saving costs in the system.
Anyone in the pharmacy space understands that is the result of this. That also helped us carry the day because we were able to show that, whether it's Ohio, West Virginia, Tennessee, Washington State, over and over again, we have plenty of analyses that have data that show that we have the facts on our side. I would just continue to point to that. Bring up the good examples. The other side isn't able to do that. They have projections; they don't have real-world, concrete data that shows that those projections ever come true.
READ MORE: Iowa Governor Signs Bill Limiting PBM Practices
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