2022 Legislation
Georgia lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are working to alleviate how much patients across our community pay at the pharmacy counter for treatments they need.
Many Georgia patients, particularly those living with chronic conditions, need consistent and reliable access to the treatments prescribed by their health care provider to manage symptoms, control their illness, and lead healthier lives. Over 6 million Georgians are living with at least one chronic illness, such as heart disease, HIV, diabetes, or Alzheimer’s.
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However, powerful middlemen in the health care industry, called pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), are driving up the cost of care and blocking access to lifesaving treatments for many Georgia patients. PBMs work in between health insurers and drug manufacturers to negotiate prescription drug prices and have a significant influence on patients’ ability to access and afford care. PBMs receive significant rebates and discounts from pharmaceutical companies for the cost of medications and treatments, but they don’t pass those savings on to patients receiving the care. This causes Georgians to pay more out of their own pockets for the care they need.
In 2025, lawmakers around the country took action to reform harmful PBM practices and help patients access the care they need. In Arkansas, policymakers passed critical legislation that increases oversight of PBM practices and prevents them from owning pharmacies in the state. In Alabama, lawmakers unanimously passed legislation to reform PBM practices and ensure independent community pharmacies can continue to serve local patients.
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It’s time for Georgia to join their ranks and pass legislation that will stop letting PBMs pocket medication discounts that are intended for patients.
KEY RESOURCES
​​​​​​Check out these resources to learn more about how legislators and other key stakeholders have found that these powerful health industry middlemen are putting treatments out of reach and raising costs:
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Report: House Oversight and Accountability Committee Staff | The Role of Pharmacy Benefit Managers in Prescription Drug Markets
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Report: Federal Trade Commission | Pharmacy Benefit Managers: The Powerful Middlemen Inflating Drug Costs and Squeezing Main Street Pharmacies
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Report: Federal Trade Commission | Specialty Generic Drugs: A Growing Profit Center for Vertically Integrated Pharmacy Benefit Managers
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Statement: Representative Buddy Carter | Carter statement on FTC report finding PBMs profited off chronically ill patients
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Article: New York Times | The Opaque Industry Secretly Inflating Prices for Prescription Drugs​​​