Press Release | New Website Empowers Patients to Use Their Voice to Restore Their Right to Choose Their Pharmacy

May 25 Marks One Year Since Martella’s Pharmacies Received the PBM, Express Scripts’ Termination Notice Serving UPMC and Highmark Managed Care Plans; Advocacy Website Launches to Mobilize Patient Voices

JOHNSTOWN, PA (May 22, 2026) — Pennsylvania patients losing access to their local pharmacies now have a place to fight back. Pharmacists United for Truth & Transparency (PUTT), a national nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to ending the anticompetitive practices of the largest pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), launches PAMyPharmacyMyChoice.org on May 25 in recognition of the one-year anniversary of the day Martella's Pharmacies was notified of the pending termination from Express Scripts pharmacy network that services UPMC and Highmark managed care plans.

“Pennsylvania Medicaid and managed care members can choose their health plan, but they have no say in which PBM controls their pharmacy network,” said Monique Whitney, PUTT Executive Director.  “When the PBM dictates where and how patients can receive their prescriptions, the result is almost always the same: PBMs steer patients to the pharmacies owned or affiliated with the PBM. Local small business pharmacies who are fully licensed and in good standing lose the patients they’ve built trusted relationships with. No family should be forced away from their local pharmacist because of a PBM decision they had no part in.”

PAMyPharmacyMyChoice.org gives Pennsylvanians direct tools to:

• Contact their state legislators and Governor Josh Shapiro

• Submit concerns to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS)

• Share personal stories about how PBM-driven network changes have affected them

The site also spotlights growing concerns about patient steering, reduced access in rural communities, and the erosion of community-based pharmacy care across the Commonwealth.

Martella's Pharmacies has served southwestern Pennsylvania for more than 60 years. While the campaign is rooted in Martella's patients' experience, PUTT designed the site to amplify the voices of independent pharmacy patients statewide.

Community members are encouraged to visit the site, share their story, and make their voices heard.

About Pharmacists United for Truth & Transparency (PUTT)

Pharmacists United for Truth & Transparency (PUTT) is a non-profit advocacy organization founded by independent pharmacists and pharmacy owners devoted to exposing the truth about the anti-competitive tactics of PBMs. PUTT seeks to educate patients, lawmakers, health plan sponsors, and the public about 

the deeply negative effects of the PBM industry on U.S. healthcare and the rising prices of prescription medications. PUTT serves as an industry watchdog, collecting evidence of PBM fraudulent practices and abuse and using that information to educate others.For more information visit TruthRx.org.

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