Episode 34 - Pills, Profits, and Politics: The PBM Dilemma

What happens when the middlemen controlling your medicine are more focused on profits than patients?

In this hard-hitting episode, Dr. Jasper and Patient Zero unravel the tangled web of Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs)—shadowy intermediaries who claim to cut drug costs but often inflate prices, restrict access, and undermine both patient care and provider trust.

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🔍 In this episode, they explore:

– What PBMs are and how they rose to power

– How spread pricing, rebates, and vertical integration distort the system

– The real-world impact on drug affordability, independent pharmacies, and patient health

– How Louisiana and Arkansas are fighting back with landmark PBM legislation

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💥 Key Takeaways:

– PBMs now control 80% of U.S. prescriptions and manage $600B in drug spending.

– Practices like spread pricing and rebate-driven formularies increase patient costs and provider burden.

– Louisiana’s 2025 PBM Reform Act bans spread pricing and mandates rebate transparency.

– Arkansas became the first state to ban PBMs from owning pharmacies outright.

– Legal pushback is fierce—but momentum is growing for federal reform.

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🎧 Soundbite:

“PBMs were created to save money—but now they’re profiting from pain and blocking the care they were meant to facilitate.”

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🩺 Reflection Questions:

For patients: “Have you ever overpaid for medication without understanding why?”

For providers: “How often do PBM rules interfere with timely, affordable care for your patients?”

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👨‍⚕️ Follow Dr. Jasper:

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🎬 Produced by Becnel Media