Where Policy Meets the Pharmacy Counter

Featuring Congressman Jake Auchincloss

Episode Summary
In this episode of RealPharma, hosts Na-Ri Oh and Ian Wendt sit down with Congressman Jake Auchincloss (MA-04) to dissect the tangled web of policy, profit, and politics driving America’s drug pricing system. From pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to the politics of tariffs, this discussion explores the push for transparency, fair competition, and sustainable reform in healthcare.

Auchincloss, a Marine veteran and member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, brings a rare combination of policy depth and industry fluency. Together, they unpack how entrenched middlemen have distorted the system—and what bipartisan solutions could finally restore balance between innovation and access.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why PBM reform has momentum but keeps stalling in Congress

• How the Pharmacists Fight Back Act could level the playing field for independent pharmacies

• The purpose of the Patients Before Monopolies Act and how it targets vertical integration

• Auchincloss’s vision for a “biotech social contract” that links innovation, IP protection, and insurance design

• The real story behind drug import tariffs and the risks of chaotic trade policy

• How U.S. innovation compares to China’s rapidly advancing biotech ecosystem

• The importance of aligning drug pricing reform with patient access and national competitiveness

Memorable Moments:

“PBMs deserve to be bulldozed for their behavior over the last two decades.”
“There’s no moral hazard in getting sick—no one fakes chemotherapy to get free drugs.”
“The most expensive thing in the world is what hasn’t been invented yet.”

Why It Matters:
As drug costs rise and innovation races ahead, the U.S. faces a defining choice: will healthcare policy reward breakthroughs or bureaucracy? Congressman Auchincloss argues that reform is not just about prices—it’s about preserving America’s leadership in biomedical innovation while ensuring patients can actually access the medicines that save lives.

Guest:
Congressman Jake Auchincloss
U.S. Representative for Massachusetts’ 4th District
Member, House Committee on Energy and Commerce

Hosts:
Na-Ri Oh & Ian Wendt