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APA, APCI urge passage of FAIR Meds Act in Alabama

The FAIR Meds Act will help ensure access to healthcare for patients, provide truth and transparency in prescription drug pricing.

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The Alabama Pharmacy Association (APA) and American Pharmacy Cooperative, Inc. (APCI) voiced their united support for the FAIR Meds Act in the Alabama legislature and urged lawmakers to quickly get the bill to Gov. Kay Ivey for her signature.

The FAIR Meds Act will help ensure access to healthcare for patients, provide truth and transparency in prescription drug pricing, enhance free market competition, and help ensure patient access to the pharmacy of their choice throughout Alabama. The bill was introduced by sponsor Rep. Phillip Rigsby (R-Huntsville).

“Out-of-control prescription prices affect every Alabamian, and we applaud Rep. Rigsby for introducing the FAIR Meds Act to help ensure patients across the state can afford their medications,” said APA CEO Louise Jones. “We ask all Alabamians to urge their representatives to pass this desperately needed legislation without delay.”

“The FAIR Meds Act will provide patients, employers, and Alabama pharmacies with transparency and increased access to health care,” said APCI CEO Tim Hamrick. “We are proud to be working hand-in-hand with APA to provide a united voice in support for this legislation.”

Pharmacy benefit managers are middlemen in the prescription medication chain that determine what medications patients can receive, how much patients pay out of pocket for their prescriptions, and how pharmacies are reimbursed for dispensing medications. Originally designed to help reduce the price of prescription drugs, research shows that PBM practices have contributed significantly to the spiraling increases in prescription costs. The FAIR Meds Act will create new regulations on these shadowy middlemen and bring transparency to prescription pricing in Alabama while protecting patients and implementing nation-leading protections for employers.

For more information on the FAIR Meds Act, visit fairmedsala.com.

The Alabama Political Reporter is a daily political news site devoted to Alabama politics. We provide accurate, reliable coverage of policy, elections and government.

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