Press Release|Articles|October 2, 2025

How PBMs Are Blocking Patient Access to Medication: A CPAN Advocacy Chat

Author(s) COA Patient Advocacy Network

Listen

0:00 / 0:00

Key Takeaways

Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) have evolved into major entities that can hinder cancer patient access to medications, prioritizing profit over care.
The chat will explore PBM tactics such as prior authorization, white bagging, and prescription trolling, which disrupt patient care.
Efforts to counteract PBM influence at state and federal levels will be discussed, offering strategies for patients and healthcare professionals.
The event is part of a series of educational webinars focusing on key cancer issues and related policies, inviting diverse participants to engage.

You don’t want to miss the upcoming CPAN Advocacy Chat, we hope you can join us!

Topic: How PBMs Are Blocking Patient Access to Medication: A CPAN Advocacy Chat

Date & Time: Oct 8, 2025 12:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Description: Patients with cancer are increasingly having their care interrupted by a little-known middleman: the pharmacy benefit manager (PBM). Join the COA Patient Advocacy Network (CPAN) for a virtual Advocacy Chat on Wednesday, October 8, at 12 p.m. ET to learn what PBMs are and how they are affecting the quality and availability of cancer care.

Host Rose Gerber, MS, will be joined by COA's Director of Clinical Initiatives, Christine Pfaff, RPh, MBA, as they discuss how PBMs fit into the care equation. Created to manage pharmacy benefits for employers, PBMs have ballooned into Fortune 100 companies that are blocking critical care in the name of profit. These delays and denials create stressful situations for patients already dealing with serious diseases. Rose and Christine will discuss the ways that PBMs influence the prescription chain through prior authorization, white bagging, prescription trolling (diverting a prescription from a patient's preferred pharmacy to the PBM's in-house pharmacy) and other tactics, what is being done to combat the influence of PBMs at the state and federal levels, and tips for you on how to navigate the PBM maze as a patient, advocate, physician, or care professional.

Webinar Registration: https://coacancer.zoom.us/webinar/register/6017580447768/WN_TsVl9qMmSIGKnTIxe5HWhw#/registration

Click here to stream previous CPAN Advocacy Chats: https://coaadvocacy.org/advocacy-chats/

This event is part of our virtual CPAN Advocacy Chats series - short, monthly educational webinars on key cancer issues and the policies that impact them. Each month features a new topic and special guest joining us. Patients, survivors, caregivers, and other cancer care advocates are all invited to join us for these free, interactive, virtual events!