A San Francisco press conference on September 16, 2024, urged California Gov. Gavin Newsom to help protect California patients’ equitable access to care by signing into law SB 966, pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform legislation.
The media event was led by California State Senator Scott Wiener (D) and included the participation and support of patients and providers, including the California Pharmacists Association, the California Chronic Care Coalition, and NACDS.
Highlights from the event include:
“We need a champion.”
– Patient Chip Supanich
Overview of legislation
– California State Senator Scott Wiener
Impact on pharmacies
– Patient Grant Bacon
“Detrimental delays in care.”
– Dr. Matthew Spinelli, University of California, San Francisco
“Severe consequences”
– Dr. Matthew Spinelli, University of California, San Francisco
Meanwhile, NACDS continues to emphasize the importance of a true all-levels and all-branches of government approach to PBM reform, which now enjoys bipartisan and bicameral consensus in the 118th Congress.
NACDS urges the federal and state governments to perform their appropriate roles — and to help reduce Americans’ prescription drug costs, to protect Americans’ access to their trusted and convenient pharmacies and to medications prescribed by their doctors, and to end predatory practices that force pharmacies to close their doors.
