Podcast
PBM Reform Podcast
Hosted by Pharmacy Podcast Network · EN
Pharmacy benefit managers were created as middlemen to reduce administrative costs for insurers, validate a patient’s eligibility, administer plan benefits, and negotiate costs between pharmacies and health plans. Over time, PBMs have been allowed to operate virtually unchecked. A lack of transparency in PBM practices has led several states to implement licensure/registration, fair pharmacy audit, or generic drug pricing legislation to try to level the playing field for pharmacies and patients. by the NCPA https://www.ncpanet.org/advocacy/state-advocacy/pbm-reform This Podcast is focusing on discussions & interviews about PBM Reform & those ”Business of Pharmacy” professionals leading this much needed reform.
10episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Bagging Better Benefits: The Grocery PBM Disruptor | PBM Reform
Feb 2300:40:26Tap to summarizeHow Kroger does PBM and the future of community pharmacy is clinical encounters.
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Pharmacists Fight Back! Live on Capitol Hill | PBM Reform; Presented by APCI
Dec 1800:41:21Tap to summarizeAmerican Pharmacy Cooperative, Inc. (APCI) called on Congress on Thursday, December 11, 2025 to pass the reintroduced Pharmacists Fight Back Act, two coordinated pieces of federal legislation designed to reform pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) practices. The Pharmacy Podcast Network provides exclusive coverage of the event held on Capitol Hill.
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U.S. Congressman Jake Auchincloss | PBM Reform
Dec 1500:41:37Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Greg Reybold speaks with Jake Auchincloss, U.S. Congressman of Massachusetts 4th District.
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Don't Get Paid Below Your Cost Anymore! | PBM Reform
Dec 1200:31:12Tap to summarizeThis week on the PBM Reform Podcast, Breck L. Rice takes listeners inside a major new software upgrade designed to integrate directly with state-level PBM complaint and reporting systems. Breck also recounts his recent meetings with state Insurance Commissioners—where he presented this breakthrough technology while PBM lobbyists pushed back in real time, leaving community pharmacy with only one voice in the room standing up for them. He underscores a critical issue that often goes unaddressed: while states continue to pass legislation aimed at PBM accountability, the real failures are happening in execution and enforcement. Without meaningful oversight, even the strongest laws fall short, and independent pharmacies continue to bear the consequences.
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Cutting Through the Noise: A nuanced discussion on MFN, Rebates, and Premiums | PBM Reform
Nov 1300:54:37Tap to summarizeDr. Robert Popovian is a pharmacist, and economist with a deep background in research and public policy. In this episode we have a nuanced discussion on policy impacting pharmacy including PBMs, President Trumps Most Favored Nation Executive Order, Rebates, and insurance premiums. Links to resources referenced in discussion: • Pioneer Institute, 340B tool: https://pioneerinstitute.org/340babuse/ • Pioneer Institute, IRA tool: https://pioneerinstitute.org/the-inflation-reduction-act-ira-overview/ • Editorial regarding TrumpRX: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/promise-trumprx-robert-popovian-vskne/?trackingId=dtiG1P%2B%2BSDq6adLfFeEbeg%3D%3D • Pioneer Institute, IRA report: https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Prescription-Drug-Price-Controls-06252025.pdf • GHLF tool, Impact of Accumulators and Maximizers on Premiums: https://cutt.ly/Rr9Di7Vf • Conquest Advisors website: https://conquestadvisors.godaddysites.com/
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PBM Reform and the AMA | PBM Reform
Sep 500:28:18Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we sit down with the President of the American Medical Association to discuss PBM reform and its impact on patients, physicians, and the future of healthcare. From drug pricing transparency to ensuring access to needed medications, this conversation explores why PBM reform is at the center of today’s healthcare policy debates.
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Behind the Policy: PBMs, Drug Pricing & Telehealth with Conor Sheehey | PBM Reform
Sep 300:56:10Tap to summarizeJoin our co-hosts Todd Eury and Greg Reybold in this exclusive interview with Conor Sheehey, who most recently served as senior health policy advisor to U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo (R-ID). In this role, he advised the Committee on a range of health care policy issues, including prescription drug pricing, telehealth, AI, provider coverage and reimbursement, fraud and abuse, medical devices, and Medicare Parts B and D. Sheehey led several bipartisan legislative efforts, including the development of comprehensive PBM reforms and bipartisan proposals on clinician payment reform and drug shortages.
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Cracking the Concentration: PBMs, Power, and the Fight for Fairness | PBM Reform Podcast
Jun 1900:50:58Tap to summarizeIn this relaunch of the PBM Reform Podcast, Greg Reybold returns with a powerful and timely conversation exploring how concentrated economic power—particularly in the form of Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs)—is undermining fair access to prescription medications, driving up drug costs, and crushing independent pharmacies. Greg is joined by Emma Freer, Senior Policy Analyst with the American Economic Liberties Project, a national non-profit and non-partisan organization dedicated to dismantling monopolistic control across critical sectors—including healthcare. Together, they dig deep into how PBMs serve as gatekeepers in the drug supply chain, extracting value at the expense of patients and providers, and how policy reform is urgently needed. Emma outlines how Economic Liberties is driving a new wave of anti-monopoly policy momentum in healthcare by advocating for stronger antitrust enforcement, corporate accountability, and legislative transparency. She highlights how concentrated PBM power not only threatens economic fairness but undermines public health outcomes. 🧠 Key Topics Covered: The history and unchecked growth of PBM power in the U.S. drug supply chain Why market concentration among PBMs is a systemic risk to patient access and competition What Economic Liberties is doing to pressure regulators and lawmakers for structural reforms Why bipartisan PBM reform is gaining traction—and what’s at stake if we fail to act How pharmacists, community leaders, and patients can join the movement for transparency and equity 💥 Why This Episode Matters: PBM dominance is no longer just a pharmacy issue—it’s an economic justice issue. This episode sheds light on the structural forces keeping drug prices high and independent pharmacies on the edge. It offers a compelling call to action for healthcare professionals, lawmakers, and reform advocates to push back against monopolistic control and put patients first. 📢 Call to Action: Visit www.economicliberties.us to explore their policy work and toolkits for reform advocates. Stay tuned to the PBM Reform Podcast as we bring together voices from across the healthcare and policy spectrum to fight for a fairer, more transparent system. Follow, rate, and share the podcast—because real reform starts with awareness and ends with action.
Transcribe →Certifying the Future: Dr. William Soliman and the Rise of Medical Affairs | PBM Reform
Jun 1200:46:54Tap to summarizeDr. William Soliman is the founder and CEO of the Accreditation Council for Medical Affairs (ACMA). The ACMA is America’s leader in life sciences accreditation, certification & training. Soliman is a former pharmaceutical executive who worked in leadership roles at Merck, Abbvie, Gilead and more. He is considered a pharma industry futurist and has been featured on NewsNation, Fox News, Newsmax, Forbes, Al Jazeera, Yahoo Business TV, ABC News Radio & more. The ACMA established the first ever certification standards in the United States and stands as a benchmark of excellence for prior authorization professionals, reimbursement professionals, pharmaceutical sales professionals, medical science liaisons and medical affairs professionals. Dr. Soliman received his PhD from Columbia University & his BA from New York University.
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PBM Transparency, Is It Real? | PBM Reform Podcast
Apr 15, 202500:42:49Tap to summarizeAn insider’s look at the games PBMs play to hid fees and tack profits for community pharmacies. What a true transparent PBM should look like and why it matters.
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