# Pharmacy Benefit Manager Reforms Are (Finally) Afoot Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/health-affairs-this-week-3424387/pharmacy-benefit-manager-reforms-are-finally-afoot Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/health-affairs-this-week-3424387/pharmacy-benefit-manager-reforms-are-finally-afoot.md Podcast: [Health Affairs This Week](https://stenobird.com/podcast/health-affairs-this-week-3424387) Published: 2026-02-06T05:00:00+00:00 Episode link: https://share.transistor.fm/s/aa7cba78 Audio file: https://media.transistor.fm/aa7cba78/9f7df689.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/health-affairs-this-week-3424387/episodes/pharmacy-benefit-manager-reforms-are-finally-afoot Duration seconds: 845 ## Resource Health Affairs ' Jeff Byers welcomes Senior Editor Kathleen Haddad back to the pod to discuss the recently passed $1.2 trillion spending appropriations bill, its included reforms for pharmacy benefit managers, the latest round of drugs slated for the Medicare Drug Negotiation program, TrumpRx, the upcoming flat rate for Medicare Advantage plan rates, and more recent health policy news. Related Articles: Congress Reins In Drug Middlemen In Effort to Lower Prescription Prices ( The New York Times ) Analyzing The Drugs Selected For The 2028 Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Cycle ( Health Affairs Forefront ) The No UPCODE Act: Considering A Simple Start To A Complex Problem ( Health Affairs Forefront ) PRESS RELEASE: CMS Announces Selection of Drugs for Third Cycle of Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program, Including First-Ever Part B Drugs ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/health-affairs-this-week-3424387/episodes/pharmacy-benefit-manager-reforms-are-finally-afoot/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/health-affairs-this-week-3424387/pharmacy-benefit-manager-reforms-are-finally-afoot.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.