For those interested in going into independent pharmacy, one will quickly hear about Pharmacy Benefit Managers, or PBM's. Essentially these are the insurance companies that go out and market an insurance plan to businesses or individuals in order to cover their perscriptions. They are also the entities that pharmacies need to work with and through in order to get reimbursements for drugs sold to individuals under the respective insurance plans.
One of NCPA's largest complaints, and I fundamentally believe rightfully so, is that PBMs do not act fairly. Two major reasons for this are their size and the lack of transparency to observe what they are doing. This sets up economic incentives for PBMs to perform questionable behavior, succumming to the market pressure to maximize bottom lines.
Here is a good summary of some of the issues and complaints that are against PBMs.
