Senator Josh Hawley tore into big pharma middlemen at a Senate hearing this week. He exposed how Pharmacy Benefit Managers are ripping off hardworking Americans. These shadowy companies control drug prices while pocketing billions in profits.
Hawley didn’t hold back. He asked why Americans pay 422% more for drugs than other countries. The PBM boss couldn’t give straight answers. “Either you’re terrible negotiators or your business model’s broken,” Hawley fired back. Missouri families are paying the price while corporate execs get rich.
The numbers don’t lie. Three companies control 80% of the PBM market. Nearly 20 Missouri counties lost pharmacies last year alone. Rural communities suffer most – two counties don’t have a single pharmacy left. This is what happens when monopolies call the shots.
Hawley called it like it is: “Missourians are getting screwed.” He’s fighting to break up the drug industry’s cozy deals. His bill would separate insurance companies from PBMs. No more backroom deals between corporate partners. Let real competition lower prices.
This isn’t just about dollars – it’s about lives. Seniors choose between medicine and groceries. Parents skip doses to make prescriptions last. Meanwhile, PBMs pocketed $7 billion in just five years. Working Americans deserve better than this rigged system.
The Missouri conservative isn’t backing down. He’s teaming up with President Trump to drain the swamp. Last week’s executive order targets drug price gouging. Now Congress needs to act. No more letting lobbyists write the rules.
PBMs claim they help patients. Tell that to folks in Knox County. Their last pharmacy closed in 2023. Now they drive 50 miles for insulin. That’s the real-world cost of corporate greed. Washington insiders forgot regular people – Hawley hasn’t.
This fight matters. Every family feels the pinch at the pharmacy counter. It’s time to put America first – not big corporations. Break up the monopolies. Let free markets work. Hawley’s leading the charge for medical freedom and fair prices.
