Gov. Josh Shapiro Delivers Remarks On Healthcare Transparency Legislation In Pennsylvania

3 months ago

On Friday, Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) delivered remarks on healthcare transparency during a press conference.

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Transcript

00:00Good afternoon, and I'd like to welcome each and every one of you who aren't from

00:05our fair city to Blair County and to my hometown of Holidaysburg.

00:12I want to thank everyone for being here and thank Thompson's Pharmacy for their

00:19hospitality. This is not only my hometown, but this is my pharmacy, so it's exciting that we have this here today.

00:28I am so pleased to be joined by Governor Josh Shapiro, Commissioner Mike Humphreys,

00:34Representative Benham, and others to promote the significant achievement that was House Bill 1993.

00:43In the Senate, I worked closely with Senator Christine Tartaglione on Senate Bill 1000,

00:49which is the Senate's version of House Bill 1993. Our offices also worked in consultation with

00:56the key stakeholder groups, bringing critical relief to pharmacies across Pennsylvania.

01:03I'd also like to commend my staff, Nathan Akers, Greg Beckenbaugh, and Matt Deegan, along with

01:08Chris Donahue and Jordan Grant, and other Senate Republican staff for their tremendous work

01:15on pulling together this final product. In many areas of the state, especially rural areas like

01:22here in Blair County and the rest of my legislative district, pharmacies are a vital

01:28part of health care and a health network. These pharmacies are on the front line of health care

01:35and are often the first stop for people looking for care. But these pharmacies are struggling as

01:41more and more continue to close because of the unfair practices of PBMs, or Pharmacy Benefit

01:48Managers. This legislation addresses these issues as well as provides for transparency

01:54and accountability measures to ensure that pharmacies and PBMs are on a fair and level

02:01playing field. At a time when our community pharmacies could not wait any longer, the

02:06General Assembly answered the call and passed meaningful PBM reform that would bring much

02:12needed relief to pharmacies in rural areas and across Pennsylvania. I'm proud of the reforms we

02:19were able to pass in House Bill 1993 and will continue to be a strong advocate for community

02:25pharmacies moving forward. I would also like to recognize Representative Jim Gregory and

02:32Representative Jesse Topper for being here today. And now I'm going to introduce Bill Thompson.

02:40Bill Thompson was really the first person, when I came into the legislature, to talk to me about

02:48the PBMs and how it wasn't a fair playing field. And I could not wrap my brain around this. I said,

02:55you pay for the drugs, but you don't get reimbursed for the full amount. How does anybody

03:01run a business like that? He said, that's the point, Judy. So I'd like to represent Bill Thompson

03:07of Thompson's Pharmacy. Thank you, Judy. And I'd like to say that Judy has been more than

03:22a friend through this whole process. She listened to me when we started this process.

03:29And we've been at it for, I'd say, five to seven years. And she's the only one, other than my

03:35friend Jim Gregory and Lou, and thankful for other PA delegates that have been through our process,

03:45but they listened. And we're finally at a point, and that's why this gentleman's here beside me,

03:51that we're going to finally get something done. And that, I can't thank enough to these people

03:57behind me. Trustee Insurance Commissioner, Representative Jesse, I can't thank you enough.

04:05As a result of bipartisan support, both of our parts of the legislature and Governor Shapiro's

04:11administration, there has now been passed, many thanks to our listening to your community pharmacy

04:17and constituents of Pennsylvania. We still have work to do to ensure the long-term viability of

04:24independent pharmacies in Pennsylvania. We cannot have any more pharmacies, community pharmacies,

04:30closed in the state of PA. There's almost one a day closing right now. One a day. Hard to believe.

04:38But we're proud to be here, and that's the reason why we're here.

04:43The PBMs are one-sided and unilaterally opposed,

04:47am opposed, on both our community pharmacies and our patients. We believe this legislation will

04:53help send the tide of independent pharmacy closings and provide our pharmacy, Pennsylvania

04:59pharmacy patients, and the right to choose their own pharmacy. Community pharmacies do the extra

05:07that our most vulnerable patients need to stay healthy and out of the hospital. Whether it's

05:13compliance packaging, home delivery, or extra time discussing the medication, our community pharmacy

05:20is always there for you. As a result, access to quality health care is very important to our

05:30community, to our patients, and our pharmacies should suffer less harm by this bill being passed today.

05:38I would like now to introduce Representative Jess Benham, and thank you for all your support.

05:50I want to thank Bill and Thompson's Pharmacy for being such wonderful hosts today, and I

05:56especially want to thank Senator Ward for her wonderful bipartisan, bicameral support of this

06:01legislation that cooperation is the reason why we're able to be here to celebrate today.

06:08Our locally owned pharmacies are trusted community institutions. They deserve a level playing field

06:15with the big corporate chains, which is a fact reinforced as I've spent the last nine months

06:20traveling the Commonwealth hearing from pharmacists. In rural areas, small towns,

06:25suburbs, and big cities, every pharmacist told me the same story. Pharmacy benefits managers were

06:32rigging the system in favor of their affiliated big chain pharmacies, while at the same time

06:37raising the costs of prescription medications for patients. As a result, over 140 pharmacies

06:44have closed in Pennsylvania since January 1st alone. The PBMs have been putting our pharmacies

06:50out of business by underpaying them for prescriptions, and when three PBMs control

06:5580% of the market, we're dealing with a monster of a vertically integrated monopoly. But I was

07:03not afraid to take them on, because Pennsylvania is not a haven for corporations that want to make

07:08a quick billion on the backs of patients and our beloved local pharmacies. Our community pharmacies

07:15provide a level of service unmatched by the big chains. They know our names when we walk through

07:21the door, they sponsor our kids' sports teams, they march in our parades, and so much more. That's why

07:29I introduced and championed this legislation, and it's why I've been fighting the predatory PBMs

07:35even before the governor mentioned them in his budget address. It's why I've spent all this time

07:40building consensus with members of both parties in both chambers throughout the Commonwealth,

07:46and it's why I'm grateful our governor was willing to sign it into law.

07:50My bill stands between local pharmacies and certain bankruptcy. I've known pharmacists who've

07:56taken out second mortgages, who've liquidated their retirement accounts, but the theme has still been

08:02the same. One to two years, and they'd close. My legislation gives them much-needed breathing room.

08:10It requires that they're reimbursed the same amount as the PBM-affiliated pharmacies. It gives

08:15the insurance department critical oversight and enforcement tools, and it provides powerful

08:20patient protections so that you can use the pharmacy of your choice, and you aren't forced

08:26to order your prescriptions by mail if you don't want to. Our independent pharmacies step up big

08:31time every day in our communities, and we're repaying them by making this system fair. We're

08:38giving them the ability to continue to serve our neighborhoods. I'm proud we did this in a bipartisan

08:44way, and I'm grateful for Governor Shapiro's support. It is now my honor to introduce Joe

08:50Breton, the owner of Northern Bedford Pharmacy. I had the opportunity to visit his pharmacy earlier

08:55today and cannot speak highly enough of the level of service he is providing to his community.

09:01Now, pharmacies like Thompson's Pharmacy and Northern Bedford Pharmacy, we can't afford to

09:07lose them, and that's why I'm thrilled about this law and why I'm glad I get to introduce Joe.

09:21Thank you. Thank you to Representative Benham, Senator Judy Ward, and all the representatives

09:27and senators that fought for PBM reform, and I'd like to thank Governor Shapiro for signing Act

09:3377 of 2024. I also want to thank Heather Kuntz and all the reporters, journalists, and media

09:40that helped explain the complex PBM abuses and their negative effects, and I lastly like to

09:46thank Bill Thompson's and Thompson's Pharmacy for making today happen. Community pharmacies play a

09:52vital role in our patients' health care team. This is especially so in our rural and medically

09:58underserved areas such as Northern Bedford Pharmacy or Northern Bedford County, excuse me,

10:03where my pharmacy, Northern Bedford Pharmacy, is located. As the most accessible health care

10:08provider, my patients trust my staff and I for medical information and advice. In rural areas,

10:15the lengthy distance to hospitals and other higher level care can serve as a roadblock for some to

10:20seek needed medical care. Many times we are there to urge and reassure patients that they do need

10:26to go see a doctor or go to an ER or urgent care, and it is worth the 15 to 20 mile drive.

10:32We have patients come to us with injuries such as a cut on the face from a line drive

10:37to respiratory infections asking if we have what they need to help them or if they need to

10:43seek further medical care, and as a pharmacist we can be that trusted source of information.

10:50Having convenient access to quality pharmacy care is very important. How many times have any of us

10:56been out running errands and when we get home we realize we forgot one of those errands,

11:00even something as important as picking up a prescription. Imagine if that was you and then

11:05you had to turn around and drive 15 miles back to the pharmacy because I had to close the doors

11:10to my pharmacy due to PBMs. I know many people, myself included, would think do I really need

11:17that medicine today? Keeping pharmacies open in rural areas helps people take their medicines

11:23daily and prevents more serious medical complications. With about 150 pharmacies

11:29closing in Pennsylvania this year alone, what happens if my pharmacy is next? Does that teenager

11:35who took the line drive to the face not seek stitches but rather try to take care of himself,

11:40which does happen, and develop a skin infection? Or does the person who forgot their blood thinner

11:46think I can get it later, missing a day or two of medicine and suffer the heart attack?

11:52Act 77 is a great start, but more work needs to be done to ensure our pharmacy's viability in the

11:58future. Thank you. Now I'd like to introduce Commissioner Mike Humphries.

12:10Thank you Governor for your leadership on this issue, Representatives Benham, Senator Ward,

12:15Representatives Topper and Gregory for getting this bipartisan bill done, and of course Bill

12:23Thompson and Thompson Pharmacy for hosting us today. Before Act 77, PBM regulation meant a $35

12:31fee and a welcome to Pennsylvania. Not anymore. Act 77 gives the Pennsylvania Insurance Department

12:38the tools to regulate PBMs in certain predatory practices. It contains several provisions

12:45aimed at protecting Pennsylvanians and our local and independent pharmacies.

12:50First, the Act prohibits a PBM from paying independent pharmacies less than the amount

12:56that the PBM reimburses its own affiliated pharmacies, and it requires that a PBM pass

13:02through at least 95% of any drug rebate to a health plan. Second, the Act places strict

13:10regulation around patient steering, which is when a PBM requires a patient to buy meds from one of

13:16its affiliated pharmacies. Third, the Act prohibits PBMs and insurers from clawing back

13:24extra money that is higher than the cost of the drug itself. For instance, if you're prescribed

13:29a drug that costs $5 to buy out of pocket, you can't be charged more than that $5 at the pharmacy,

13:37even if your co-pay is $15. Finally, the Act imposes new reporting requirements on PBMs

13:44that allow PID to better track a PBM's actions and sheds light on the movements behind the scenes.

13:52Beginning in 2026, PBMs must submit an annual transparency report that will show us at PID

14:01the amount of all rebates that the PBM received from drug manufacturers and did not pass through

14:07to health insurers, and any difference between what it pays an affiliated pharmacy

14:12and other retail pharmacies. Act 77 gets a lot done for Pennsylvanians and for our pharmacy

14:19partners, and at PID we're excited to move forward with its implementation. So thank you again for

14:25the opportunity to be here, and I will now turn it over to Kathy Kilgore, a longtime pharmacy customer.

14:37Hi everyone. I just want to let you know that Thompson's has been my pharmacy for many, many

14:43years. Actually, Billy was instrumental in diagnosing my illness, and I go to a specialist,

14:51and the specialist retires. The first thing I did is ask Billy, who should I, on this list,

14:58who should I go to? You don't get that at Walgreens or Rite Aid or CVS. You just don't.

15:04They don't. You're a number. You walk in, but these guys, all these guys are great. They know

15:09you when you walk in. You know, have a question about how to take this, the med. They're right

15:15there beside you telling you how to take it, and they're going to make sure you're doing well.

15:20So I can't thank you enough, Billy, and it's my pleasure to introduce Josh Shapiro,

15:29and thank you so much, sir. Thank you. Thank you, Kathy. Thanks, Kathy.

15:37I'm not sure why you need any of us with Kathy here. She summed up just how critically important

15:43these neighborhood independent pharmacies are, and Kathy, I want to say thank you for being here.

15:48Thank you for sharing your story with us, and thank you for sharing the stories of love that

15:54you get when you walk in here to Thompson's. I want to say to Bill, to you and your entire team

16:00here at Thompson's Pharmacy, thanks for hosting us today. Thank you for allowing those who have

16:05not been in this pharmacy to come in and see the wonderful job you do, and the family atmosphere,

16:11and the warm and welcoming atmosphere that you have. And I know the same is true, certainly,

16:17by reputation and based on what Representative Benham said at Joe Breton's Northern Bedford

16:22Pharmacy. It's a similar deal. You want to be able to go into a place where, what was the old

16:27cheer song, where everybody knows your name, right? And where you're able to have a conversation with

16:31your pharmacist, and see your neighbor, and have that level of positive interaction, particularly

16:38in rural communities where these pharmacies are hard to access. So I want to really just say

16:44thanks to Bill and Joe for showing all of us the love they have for what they do, and the community

16:50that they serve. They really, really matter. Our pharmacies really are the linchpins in our

16:55communities, delivering the medications, and the services, and the health care that people need

17:01every single day to live healthy and productive lives here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

17:08Folks being able to live healthy and productive lives took a great step forward thanks to the

17:13leadership shown by Representative Jess Benham and by Senator Judy Ward. These are two outstanding

17:20public servants who came together to get something done here in Pennsylvania, Republican and Democrat

17:27alike. And what you heard in each of their remarks earlier was actually the same message. They showed

17:34up at their pharmacy. They listened to Bill. They listened to the other pharmacists that they met

17:40across the Commonwealth. And then they took what they listened, and they went back to the

17:44halls of power in Harrisburg, and they did something about it. And you know what? That's great public

17:50service. And I think it's incumbent upon all of us. I don't care what your party is, what your view is,

17:54whether you agree on this issue or that issue. We should celebrate that. Public servants listening

18:00to the community, and then coming back to Harrisburg and doing something about it. And so I

18:05really wanted to say how grateful I am to be here with Senator Ward and Representative Benham, and

18:10to thank them for all their work. And Representative Benham, particularly for your work traveling all

18:16across this Commonwealth, well outside your district, and listening to people share their

18:22stories, particularly from the independent pharmacists about how PBMs were negatively

18:28impacting their lives. So I appreciate you, and I think it should be lost on no one here that we

18:34have a bipartisan group standing here talking about something that is really common sense. And

18:41I hope you also take note that they are here representing the nation's only divided legislature.

18:48Think about that for a minute. The Senate led by Republicans, the House led by Democrats, yet we've

18:53been able to come together on a number of historic common sense things, most notably here today,

19:00PBM reform. That, that coming together, that's the Pennsylvania way. And that's the way we get

19:06stuff done. As you heard from Bill, our local independent pharmacies, they're just beloved

19:13in the community. And I can tell you firsthand that that's very real. Since I was a kid, I went

19:19and got the candy I needed, maybe sometimes the greeting card I needed, and certainly the

19:24prescriptions I needed at a place called the Abington Pharmacy. That's in Montgomery County.

19:28And when my family and I aren't at the governor's residence and we're back home in Montgomery

19:32County, we still go there. I was joking before to Joe, he's blessed with five kids. I'm blessed with

19:39four. Lori and I are blessed with four. We sort of went through that circuit of getting amoxicillin

19:44basically every day for one of our kids who had an ear infection. And each day I'd show up at the

19:49Abington Pharmacy, the pharmacist would say, which kid is it now, Josh? And I would tell them which

19:53kid had the ear infection, and they would wish us well and make sure we had what we needed. That's

19:59what an independent neighborhood pharmacy is all about. They make you feel warm and welcome, and

20:03I'm someone who has experienced that firsthand throughout my life. And I'm also committed to

20:09making sure they're able to thrive in communities, rural, urban, and suburban across Pennsylvania.

20:16But for too long, we've had these PBMs, these middlemen between the drug manufacturers and

20:21these pharmacies, like the one here in Hollisburg, who got caught in the middle. And when they were

20:26in the middle, what they did was they manipulated the system, and they profited off the pharmaceutical

20:32system at the expense of Pennsylvanians, at the expense of consumers, and certainly at the expense

20:39of our community pharmacies. Here's what they've done. Over their time operating here in Pennsylvania,

20:45PBMs have driven up prices. They've unilaterally changed the terms of contracts with pharmacies,

20:51and they're left really defenseless to that. And they've been picking and choosing who gets to win

20:58and who is going to lose. While the middlemen got rich all these years, independent pharmacies were

21:04the losers, and consumers were too. Think about this. Since January 1st of this year, 70 independent

21:11pharmacies have closed their doors in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This has most

21:16notably hurt rural communities across our commonwealth, and it makes it harder for

21:21Pennsylvanians to get access to the medications that they need. 21 out of Pennsylvania's 67 counties

21:30have fewer than 10 pharmacies. And these large rural counties, that means longer road trips to

21:36get what you need, perhaps longer ride shares to get what you need, and oftentimes it shuts people

21:41out from getting the medication that they need on time. Local independent pharmacies keep getting

21:47forced out of the marketplace because of the greed and the conduct of these PBMs. And the good people

21:53of Pennsylvania keep getting screwed with higher costs and reduced access to the medications that

21:59they need. And during all of that, PBMs, they got richer and they made record profits. Well,

22:08we don't want to stand for that any longer. And so my administration and lawmakers from both parties

22:13came together to do something about it. I called for reform back during my budget address in

22:19February, and Republicans and Democrats alike, representatives and senators, stepped up and

22:24answered that call. This bill that I'm about to sign includes landmark reforms sponsored by

22:30Representative Benham to stop these PBMs from screwing over Pennsylvanians. Now, apparently,

22:37you can't just write in a bill, hey, PBM, stop screwing over Pennsylvanians. You actually have

22:41to have a lot more words to it. And the words in this bill demonstrate a real commitment to reform

22:48and will bring about real change here in Pennsylvania. First, PBMs have been harming

22:54Pennsylvanians by dictating which pharmacy you could get your medicine from. This was called

23:00steering, where PBMs would steer customers to different pharmacies. Oftentimes, it was favoring

23:07the chains that actually own the PBM. So rather than getting your medication at a local independent

23:13pharmacy like Thompson's, you'd have to travel further from home and do it on their terms

23:18instead of yours. This new law puts a stop to steering in Pennsylvania. Second, PBMs,

23:26as you heard before, they have been artificially inflating the cost of a medication. So a drug

23:32that costs five bucks, because the PBM would set the price, not Thompson, the PBM, they'd set a

23:38price at, say, 20 bucks, and they'd pocket the $15 in profit. No longer will that be the case.

23:45This bill puts a stop to that predatory practice as well. Third, you heard from our great insurance

23:51commissioner, Commissioner Humphreys, that we now have given him the tools as the person who

23:57oversees insurance in Pennsylvania to hold these PBMs accountable. You heard before,

24:03they'd pay a $35 fee, and they'd basically get to do whatever they wanted in the Commonwealth.

24:07No longer is that the case. In addition to having the power to hold them accountable and stop them

24:13from screwing over Pennsylvanians, we now have greater transparency, greater data sharing,

24:18so that if they get out of line going forward, the commissioner can hold them accountable or come

24:23back to great leaders like Senator Ward and Representative Benham and call on them to bring

24:29about amendments to this new law if necessary. That transparency is really, really critical.

24:36Listen, I'm proud to stand here in Blair County today and tell you that these reforms that I'm

24:41about to sign into law, the industry hates these reforms, which means we all did something right

24:47here. That's something that we should celebrate. After I announced my call for PBM reform in

24:54February, a bunch of these CEOs from the PBMs came to visit me, and they made their case.

25:01They tried to explain why their practice of screwing over Pennsylvanians is something that

25:05we should allow stand. As you can imagine, I did not receive that information well, and I sent them

25:11out of my office. And these lawmakers worked hard to build a coalition to pass meaningful reform,

25:17and today we're here in Blair County to sign that. The people over the powerful. The people won,

25:24and the people deserve to be heard, and they were. Here in Pennsylvania, we have shown routinely

25:31that we can come together and we can get stuff done for the good people of Pennsylvania. We've

25:36also shown that we can actually solve problems like this PBM problem that has existed for a

25:41long time. Democrats and Republicans have been coming together in Pennsylvania to solve other

25:46problems too. On higher education, Representative Topper is here, one of the leaders in the Republican

25:52Caucus in the House, who joined me and others in saying we could no longer disinvest from higher ed,

25:58but we also needed to make real reforms in higher ed. And so for the first time in 30 years, we

26:04passed meaningful reform when it comes to higher ed. That's a big deal. For more than half a century

26:10in Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania State Police were getting their funding out of the same line

26:15item that funded our roads and bridges in Pennsylvania. I don't know who thought that

26:19was a good idea way back when, that public safety would have to compete with public infrastructure.

26:24Folks talked about this for decades, decoupling that. And you know what? Democrats and Republicans

26:29came together last year and we did decouple that. And now we're investing an historic amount in our

26:34Pennsylvania State Police and more money than ever before in our infrastructure, particularly

26:39rural infrastructure in Pennsylvania. We solved that problem too. When a court in Pennsylvania

26:45said that our K-12 funding system for education was unconstitutional, both because we weren't

26:51providing enough resources to our schools and because we weren't driving those dollars out to

26:56the schools that needed it most, Democrats and Republicans came together in this budget and not

27:01only passed an historic amount of funding for our schools, but we actually put a new formula in place

27:06so the dollars would go to the kids who need it most. Solving problems, coming together. I remember

27:12hearing from a public defender in a rural community here in Pennsylvania who said we were one of only

27:17two states in the entire nation that wasn't funding public defenders, which was negatively

27:23impacting our criminal justice system. Democrats, Republicans came together and now we lost that

27:28distinction of not funding our public defenders. We do that work now. Why do I share that with you?

27:35Because in these times of heightened polarization, where it's hard to have a conversation, heck,

27:39it's even hard to have a conversation at family dinner tables sometimes. Here in Pennsylvania,

27:44you should be proud of your lawmakers for putting aside differences on issues where we can't find

27:49common ground and instead working on the areas that Pennsylvanians care about most and finding

27:55common ground and solving problems and putting Pennsylvanians first. This PBM law is important

28:02because of what it means for independent pharmacies, reducing drug prices across Pennsylvania,

28:07but it's also important because I think it shows the power of people coming together,

28:12finding common ground, and doing common sense things, and that is something all of us should

28:17be proud of. I know I am, and I'm grateful to Senator Ward, Representative Benham, and all of

28:22the elected leaders who made it possible. So thank you for having me here at Thompson's. I'm going to

28:27sign this now and then we'll come back and we'll be happy to take some questions. Thank you all

28:31very, very much.

29:02People are standing out there.

29:14Ready? All right, here we go.

29:19Yep, that's for you. Senator, that's for you. Thank you very much.

29:49All right, Senator Ward is going to answer all your questions.

30:02Now, I have never been in a press conference where a reporter got name-checked by one of the speakers,

30:07so clearly you're the local person who knows what they're talking about. I'm going to give you

30:12the first question if you have one. I do have one, actually. One of the things when you read

30:16through the bill, a lot of it talks about studies for the future and what's going to happen,

30:22you know, after they can gather the information, but we've lost 142 pharmacies already.

30:27What's being implemented in the here and now to make sure that we don't lose another 140

30:32before this sort of really gets its legs? Let me offer some brief remarks. I'll ask the

30:36Commissioner to jump in as well. Obviously, knowing that this law was coming about now,

30:41having it in law should hopefully give peace of mind to an independent pharmacy that's

30:46struggling and holding on, really, for the reasons Senator Ward talked about before.

30:51Just the whole dynamic of how the pricing was working was working against independents like

30:56Thompson. Knowing that that's changing, knowing that they can no longer have business steered

31:01away from them, knowing that they're going to now have power in this conversation and have a place

31:07to go to in the Insurance Commissioner's office to be able to log a complaint that he can do

31:11something about it, hopefully that's going to give peace of mind to reverse this trend.

31:16We also, I think, are in a position, thanks to this budget we passed with some historic

31:21investments in economic development, to be able to make investments in main streets like this

31:26and the businesses that line it, pharmacies and otherwise, to be able to strengthen our small

31:31businesses and our communities, especially our rural communities. Small businesses are the

31:35lifeblood and really the engine of communities like Holidaysburg and others, and we are prepared

31:41to make more investments there thanks to the bipartisan budget that we're able to pass.

31:45Commissioner, you want to add anything on that?

31:47Just to the Governor's point, the effective date on the reporting piece was 2026 because

31:53you need an opportunity for the provisions to take effect. So over the next several months,

31:58you'll see the clawback provisions, the steering provisions, the specialty drug list

32:02with the complaint process for independent pharmacies and other pharmacies will all be

32:06taking place over the next couple of months. So you'll see these contracts changing with the

32:12local and independent pharmacies with the reporting a year later so that we can see

32:17the effect of the act itself. Let me just add one other thing. When we've been able to give

32:22the Insurance Commissioner greater power, industry has very quickly caved from their

32:28predatory practices. When I took office, I challenged the Insurance Commissioner to be

32:33very aggressive about something called mental health parity to make sure that our mental

32:38health care system, which by law should have parity with our physical health care system,

32:44that plans that came forth to his office would have actual parity in them, otherwise they would

32:50not receive approval. Even before the effective date of that came up, insurance companies were

32:57already running into the insurance department under Commissioner Humphrey's leadership and

33:02changing their practices and making sure that mental health parity was something that they

33:07were adopting quickly. Why do I share that with you? Because when lawmakers stand together,

33:12when laws are signed, when we send a clear message about what we're willing to tolerate

33:16and what we're not, in this case we're not willing to tolerate the predatory practices of PBMs,

33:21practices change and the people who will benefit from that are everyday Pennsylvanians because

33:26their drug prices will go down and of course independent pharmacies like this.

33:31Anything else from the media? Yeah. Can it be on another topic? Let's see if there's anything else

33:36on this. Anything else on this? I was afraid there wasn't. And I'm not going to be offended

33:43if Senator Ward walks away for this one. Go ahead. The first one is one that you've obviously gotten

33:50a lot. Have you spoken with Vice President Harris since Sunday and have you been reached out by her

33:56team in regards to any vetting materials? On Sunday I was really honored to receive a call

34:01from President Biden just a few moments after he made the announcement that he was dropping out of

34:07the race and endorsing the Vice President. The Vice President called me just a few moments

34:11after that. I quickly offered her my endorsement. We spoke only about that and we have not spoken

34:17since. Can you say we know that tomorrow you're going to be holding an event in Carlisle for her

34:22as well as on Monday with Governor Whitmer from Michigan? You know my schedule better than I do.

34:31Can you tell us anything more about what these events will entail? I can't but I can just not

34:36because I'm unwilling to but because I just don't know the details of the events other than I'm

34:41going to stand up and speak very forcefully in support of Vice President Harris and talk about

34:46the clear contrast in this race between she and Donald Trump. Anything else? Yeah. Of course this

34:55measure that you took with this bill is helping to protect access to health care and prescriptions

35:00in our local pharmacies. What steps are next as far as protecting women's health care within our

35:06local pharmacies? Women I something went off. Access to women's health care things like birth

35:12control, mifepristone. Absolutely. Look I've always been a champion of women's reproductive

35:17health care and freedom for women all across Pennsylvania. So long as I'm governor women will

35:22have access to mifepristone. They'll have access to abortions here in Pennsylvania. They will have

35:26access to any health care that they and their doctor choose free from political interference.

35:32That is a commitment I've long made to the good people of Pennsylvania. I've long honored whether

35:37it was as attorney general going to court to defend women's rights. We're making sure that

35:42our pharmacies and our doctors are able to practice medicine and health care free of

35:46political interference. So long as I'm governor that's going to continue. Okay. Thank you all very.

35:53Can you tell us a little bit about your weekend of action for Kamala Harris for president and what

35:58areas you're targeting across Pennsylvania? You know here at Thompson's we love to talk about

36:03everything in the community but I think we don't love talking about politics there. Right Phil?

36:08Out of respect for the question I mean look I have a very clear view on this election and I think this

36:14election poses a stark choice between the vice president and between Donald Trump. It's no secret

36:20where I stand on this and I'm going to do everything in my power to prosecute the case as

36:24to why Kamala Harris is a better candidate. Why we don't want to go back to the chaos of Donald

36:29Trump and I'll be doing that in these rallies this weekend. Thank you. Can you talk to just how

36:35the polls are getting that much closer between her and former president Trump especially? I think

36:41when it comes to polls you should interview a pundit. I'm a governor for all Pennsylvanians.

36:45I'm going to focus on doing that job and others can offer the punditry. Thanks everybody. Appreciate it.

36:59you

Gov. Josh Shapiro Delivers Remarks On Healthcare Transparency Legislation In Pennsylvania

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