Congressman Jake Auchincloss wants to be seen as a bold reformer — a modern-day David taking on the Goliath of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). He rails against them in hearings, calls them “rent-seekers,” and promotes legislation like the Pharmacists Fight Back Act, which he claims will save independent pharmacies from extinction.
But let’s be honest: Auchincloss isn’t fighting special interests. He’s simply picked a side — and it’s the one with a bigger checkbook.
While Auchincloss points the finger at PBMs, he’s quietly aligned himself with an even more powerful and entrenched special interest: the pharmaceutical industry. His voting record, policy endorsements, and fundraising portfolio read like a lobbyist’s dream. In 2021, he was one of the few Democrats to oppose H.R. 3 — the landmark legislation to let Medicare negotiate lower drug prices — citing talking points lifted almost word-for-word from pharma’s playbook. He eventually reversed himself under pressure, but continued to hedge his support by citing industry-funded concerns about “innovation.”
That’s not reform. That’s triangulation.
His opposition to using “march-in” rights — a longstanding tool for breaking monopolies on taxpayer-funded drugs — further underscores where his loyalties lie. At a time when families are rationing insulin and seniors can’t afford chemotherapy, Auchincloss prioritized patent protection over patient access.
And the financial trail makes things crystal clear. Over $400,000 in campaign contributions from pharmaceutical companies, executives, and PACs. Tens of thousands more from biotech investment firms like RA Capital, whose founder Rep Auchincloss has publicly championed. Even his own mother, a pharma board member, cut six-figure checks to a super PAC supporting his rise. These are not passive donations — they are investments, and Rep. Auchincloss has delivered returns.
He claims to champion independent pharmacies, but his vision is fundamentally misaligned with their survival. Reforming PBMs without breaking the monopolistic grip of Big Pharma is like draining the swamp but leaving the alligators. Without meaningful drug pricing reform — including negotiation powers, transparency, and enforcement — community pharmacies will remain stuck in a supply chain rigged against them from the top down.
Rep. Auchincloss is smart, articulate, and no doubt sincere in his concern for Main Street pharmacists. But policy is not about sentiment. It’s about results. And his record suggests he is far more comfortable with boardrooms in Boston than break rooms in small-town pharmacies.
Mike Crispi is a talk show host, TV reporter, businessman and political activist.
