Dear Friend,

I recently hosted a roundtable in Waterloo with Senator Chuck Grassley, and of course Mrs. G, to hear from independent pharmacists on the unfair practices pharmacy benefit managers, commonly known as PBMs, are trying to get away with. 

Independent pharmacies are at the heart of our communities, especially in rural Iowa, but there are a lot of challenges right now, including patients being pushed toward a PBM-owned pharmacy with higher costs instead of the local pharmacy they trust.

Senator Grassley has been a longtime leader in taking on PBMs and standing up for independent pharmacies and their patients.

I’ve been working on this from the House side as well. Last year, I pressed the FTC chairman about how these middlemen are squeezing independent pharmacies and driving up costs for patients.

And this year, we finally took action to shine a light on where the money is going – requiring PBMs to disclose more about what they’re charging, what they’re paying pharmacies, and how they’re profiting off sick Americans.

This was a long-overdue step toward stopping the games and making sure patients and local pharmacies aren’t getting ripped off. But there’s clearly more work to do, and that’s why conversations like this are so important. I’ll continue working across the aisle to take on the PBMs and big health insurance companies that are ripping off Iowans and making it harder to access care. 

Sincerely,

ICYMI: Roundtable Highlights

Watch or read more here.

Watch and read more here. 

Team Hinson in IA-02

Team Hinson joined People’s Community Health Clinic to celebrate its 50th anniversary as part of National Health Center Week. Despite the rain, more than 300 residents stopped by to celebrate the clinic and the work it has done for the community! 

The team also joined UnityPoint Health St. Luke’s Hospital for the ribbon cutting of its new Vascular & Interventional Radiology Department. The new space will help bring more specialized care to patients right here in Northeast Iowa.

And of course, we got to cheer on Gracie and Bogey at their service dog graduation!