(WASHINGTON, DC) – Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis, a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, announced her legislative language to lower the cost of prescription drugs and increase telehealth services for mental health appointments passed out of the full committee with bipartisan support and will be included in the committee’s Preserving Telehealth, Hospital, and Ambulance Access Act.
Specifically, language Malliotakis introduced in partnership with Reps. Buddy Carter (R-GA) and Lisa Blunt-Rochester (D-DE) would delink Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) compensation from the cost of medications and increase price transparency, protecting ‘mom & pop’ pharmacies, and lowering the cost of prescription drugs for consumers. This policy will save taxpayers roughly $700 million and help reduce seniors’ out-of-pocket drug costs.
“When it comes to PBMs, there’s little to no transparency on their practices, and they’re making a lot of money by charging inflated prices for medicine, pocketing the profits, and dictating what their competitors are able to make in the process,” Malliotakis said. “Because of this, ‘mom & pop’ pharmacies in my district are being crushed, and the inflated costs are being passed down to consumers. I’m pleased to see the Ways and Means Committee push this commonsense language forward so we can protect patients from the exploitative pricing techniques of predatory PBMs and work to make prescription drugs more affordable.”
“I am very grateful Congresswoman Malliotakis is taking a stand against the Pharmacy Benefit Managers who are running a monopoly,” said Dr. Mayank A. Parikh from Super Health Pharmacy in Pleasant Plains, Staten Island. “They are widening their moat, while the rest of the community pharmacies are drowning, and the quality of healthcare to the patients is suffering.”
Also included is language Malliotakis introduced in partnership with Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK) and Susie Lee (D-NV), which would remove in-person requirements for behavioral health services delivered via telehealth.
Malliotakis added: “The utilization of telehealth services has only increased since the pandemic, and now, in a post-pandemic world where more than 20% of Americans, including more than three million New Yorkers, are battling mental health issues, we should be doing everything we can to continue expanding access to this critical care. I’m proud to support efforts to remove in-person evaluation requirements for behavioral telehealth services so patients can receive care more efficiently, regardless of their physical location.”
Additionally, the Preserving Telehealth, Hospital, and Ambulance Access Act:
Preserves patients’ access to care in the home by removing in-person requirements, geographic restrictions, and expanding practitioners ability to bill or be reimbursed for telehealth services
Sustains access to hospitals and emergency services in urban, rural, and super-rural areas through FY25.
Offsets spending through new payment and reporting systems.
WATCH MALLIOTAKIS’ REMARKS FROM THE MARKUP BELOW:
Banner Image: Prescription drug prices. Image Credit – Anastasiia Gudantova
Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis was sworn in on January 3, 2021 to represent Staten Island and Southern Brooklyn.
Prior to serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis was elected to the New York State Assembly on November 2, 2010, defeating a two-term incumbent. In the Assembly, she served as Minority Whip and the ranking minority member of the Assembly Committee on Governmental Employees. For five terms, Congresswoman Malliotakis fought to restore ethics in Albany, expand transit service in her district, improve programs for senior citizens, reform education and improve New York’s economic climate by reducing the tax burden on small businesses and residents. A cornerstone of her tenure was helping her community recover and rebuild following the devastation of Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
In addition to advocating for these same issues in Washington, Congresswoman Malliotakis is acutely focused on securing New York’s fair share of federal mass transit funding, which would go towards expanding transportation services and easing traffic congestion, while also championing public safety by supporting our nation’s law enforcement officers.
Congresswoman Malliotakis is the daughter of immigrants, her father from Greece and her mother a Cuban exile of the Castro dictatorship. She is currently the only Republican member representing New York City in Congress, representing a district spanning the boroughs of Brooklyn and Staten Island. She is a passionate advocate for animal rights and the strengthening of animal cruelty laws, and in her spare time, enjoys spending time with her chihuahua, Peanut.
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