When the General Assembly passed the Pharmacy Benefit Reform Act (Act 77 of 2024), it sent a clear signal: Pennsylvania is serious about holding pharmacy benefit managers accountable. That landmark, bipartisan legislation brought much-needed oversight and transparency to our prescription drug system. But the crisis facing our pharmacies has not subsided. Across the Commonwealth, doors are still closing—and the pharmacists who remain are asking us to go further.
 
That is why we are introducing legislation to create a single Pharmacy Benefit Administrator (PBA) model for all of Pennsylvania's state-funded health care programs. Rather than continuing to rely on a fragmented network of PBMs, this proposal would direct the Department of Human Services to competitively select one administrator to manage prescription drug benefits statewide—bringing consistency, fairness, and transparency to pharmacy reimbursement while safeguarding patient access.
 
The evidence speaks for itself. Since implementing this model in 2019, Ohio has saved $333 million in administrative costs and channeled $700 million in dispensing fees directly to its pharmacies. By 2025, Ohio's Medicaid program had become the most stable and reliable payer for pharmacists in the country. Kentucky saw $283 million in savings within its first year. Virginia, Minnesota, and Nevada have all enacted similar reforms this year, reflecting a clear and growing national consensus that this model works.
 
Pennsylvania's community pharmacies are vital community institutions. They are where patients turn for trusted health care guidance, where prescriptions are filled with personal attention, and where access to medication is often most reliable. If we fail to act, we risk losing them—and the communities that depend on them will pay the price. We ask you to co-sponsor this legislation and stand with us in protecting pharmacy access, curbing the influence of costly middlemen, and ensuring every Pennsylvanian can get the care they need.