House GOP needs to question anti-PBM legislation in Ventry

Before Bailing-Out Pharma with Anti-PBM legislation, House Republicans Should Ask Four Very Important Questions

Later this month, House Republicans may vote on legislation being pushed by large pharmaceutical companies aimed at changing how prescription drugs are paid for.

These bills being pushed by industry giants like Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson, would restrict how companies can pay for prescription drugs by targeting pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).

But instead of bailing out large pharmaceutical companies that hate conservatives, House Republicans should be fully focused on keeping the House, winning the Senate, and firing Biden in the Fall. I encourage every House Republican to ask these four questions before supporting Big Pharma:

First: Why Help Liberal Companies?

Whatever the lobbyists say now, it’s clear that over the past few years pharmaceutical companies have aligned with the left.

These companies have given millions to liberal politicians, including Democratic dark money groups.

The companies that developed the COVID-19 vaccines fundedgroups that lobbied for vaccine mandates.

That means Big Pharma used taxpayer dollars to develop the vaccine then supported the left’s vaccine mandates to target Americans who wanted to make their own medical choices.

Let’s not forget the same companies urging you to pass anti-PBM legislation delayed their announcement of the COVID-19 vaccine until after the November 2020 election, ensuring the new wouldn’t be helpful to President Trump’s re-election.

Moreover, the firms advocating for the anti-PBM legislation are among those embracing woke corporate policies.

For instance, Pfizer offered illegal race-based scholarships while begging Republican for support for legislation targeting PBMs.

Second: Do You Really Understand What These Bills Do?

The legislation that targets pharmacy benefit managers is technical, it’s complicated, and it involves new restrictions on how healthcare purchases are made.

If there’s one lesson we learned from the Obamacare debacle, it’s that “passing a bill to find out what’s in it” is dangerous.

The lobbyists pushing these bills may tell you they will reduce the cost of drugs, but if that were true, why would drug companies be supporting these bills?

The truth is this legislation would backfire, likely drive up the cost of drugs, and voters would be furious.

Third: Why Is This a Priority?

If you’ve taken calls or read the mail from the district, you’re hearing about the border, the Biden administration’s corruption, and inflation.

I suspect that there is not a single Republican voter (who isn’t being paid by Big Pharma) who thinks that our top priority should be passing Big Pharma’s legislation on PBMs.

No Republican candidates campaigned on PBM issues, so why prioritize this now?

Fourth: Why Give Democrats a Win?

Legislation that targets PBMs has traditionally been championed by the left.

In fact, President Biden is a huge proponent of this, as is Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and countless other progressives.

When Democrats controlled the House, they weren’t naïve enough to spend precious time on legislation that Republicans wanted passed.

So why should we help out the left?

Because President Biden has been a disaster on everything he’s touched, we are well positioned to win back not just the White House but the Senate, too.

That will give us a chance to focus on real healthcare reform, instead of compromising with Joe Biden.

I know that the lobbying from the pharmaceutical companies and their associations is aggressive, but I encourage you: before signing on to complicated healthcare legislation that could backfire and harm our voters, get the answers that we deserve to know.

Garrett Ventry is the former chief of staff to Fmr. Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo.,  and press aide to Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.