Bresnahan Joins Local Pharmacists to Push for PBM Reform

Today, U.S. Representative Rob Bresnahan, Jr. (PA-08) joined local pharmacists to call for continued reforms to pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), arguing the middlemen have too much control over prescription drug pricing and are hurting both working families and independent pharmacies.

"When a family walks into a pharmacy and finds out their prescription costs twice as much as they expected, they don't care which company is responsible for the problem. They just know they can't afford their medicine," said Rep. Bresnahan. "We need to put patients first, give our local pharmacists a fair shot, and make sure the savings that are negotiated on behalf of patients actually reach the people standing at the pharmacy counter."

In addition to Rep. Bresnahan, Eric Pusey, local pharmacist and owner of Better Health Pharmacy & Wellness and David Weissman, Director of Congressional Affairs for the National Community Pharmacists Association also spoke at the event.

PBMs were originally created to negotiate lower prescription drug prices on behalf of patients and insurers. However, their growing size and market power have created a system that can make it harder for patients to afford their medications and harder for independent pharmacies to compete. The issue is particularly important for independent pharmacies that serve as trusted healthcare providers in their communities.

During the press conference, Rep. Bresnahan highlighted significant PBM reforms enacted in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 in February this year. The reforms increase transparency around PBM practices, require certain negotiated rebates and other payments to be fully passed through to commercial health plans, and establish new limits on how PBMs can be compensated under Medicare Part D. The law also strengthens protections related to pharmacy networks and access.

"I was proud to support these reforms because Washington finally took a major step toward holding PBMs accountable," continued Bresnahan. "But we cannot stop there. We need to keep pushing until patients actually see the savings and local pharmacies are no forced to fight an unfair system just to serve their neighbors."

Rep. Bresnahan is also a cosponsor of the PBM Reform Act of 2025, which would strengthen transparency and address abusive pricing practices, including spread pricing in Medicaid.