Marty Schladen Explains Ohio’s Pharmacy Benefit Manager Crisis and Drug Pricing Reform

This story may be one of the unknowns to Ohioans, but we look into the hidden world of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), broken healthcare incentives, and the collapse of community pharmacies.

We welcome Marty Schladen from Ohio Capital Journal back to the podcast.

AND we took a detour through Ohio’s energy controversy and—yes—why Alcatraz is back in the headlines.

3 Key Takeaways:

• PBMs & Hidden Healthcare Costs: The lack of transparency with pharmacy benefit managers drives up prices for everyone, even leading to $250M in excess costs in Ohio Medicaid alone. It’s a tangle of rebates, “safe harbors,” and backdoor deals that rarely save money for actual patients.
• Pharmacy Deserts Are Real: Ohio’s local, independent pharmacies are closing at an alarming rate, threatening access to care in underserved areas. When a pharmacy shuts down, it’s not just a business lost—it’s often the only healthcare touchpoint for miles.
• Bi-Partisan Reform is Gaining Steam: From Ohio’s Attorney General to 39 state AGs teaming up, there’s momentum to fix the system—by enforcing transparency, capping “middleman” profits, and ending conflicts of interest (like PBMs owning retail pharmacies).

Special thanks to Marty for the clarity and to all listeners who care about a fairer, healthier future for Ohio.

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Key Moments

00:00 Ohio's PBM Safe Harbor History

08:23 Pharmacy Pricing Investigation in Ohio

14:15 Cancer Clinics Frustrated by PBMs

20:02 Locked-In Government Revenue Politics

21:03 Ohio Medicaid Reform Saves $333M

31:06 Unregulated Drug Compounding Issues

36:19 Jim Jordan's FTC Reallocation Proposal

39:41 EV Rebate Removed, Elon Affected

46:49 Discussion on House Bill 15

49:06 House Bill 15: Environmental Concerns

55:07 "3 Mile Island vs. Chernobyl"

01:03:11 Ohio's Health vs. Corporate Welfare

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Recorded at the 511 Studios, in the Brewery District in downtown Columbus, OH.

Copyright 2026 Common Sense Ohio

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Stephen Palmer is the Managing Partner for the law firm, Palmer Legal Defense. He has specialized almost exclusively in criminal defense for over 26 years. Steve is also a partner in Criminal Defense Consultants, a firm focused wholly on helping criminal defense attorneys design winning strategies for their clients.

Norm Murdock is an automobile racing driver and owner of a high-performance and restoration car parts company. He earned undergraduate degrees in literature and journalism and graduated with a Juris Doctor from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 1985. He worked in the IT industry for two years before launching a career in government relations in Columbus, Ohio. Norm has assisted clients in the Transportation, Education, Healthcare, and Public Infrastructure sectors.

Brett Johnson, My Podcast Guy®, is an award-winning podcast consultant and small business owner for nearly 10 years, leaving a long career in radio. He is passionate about helping small businesses tell their story through podcasts, and he believes podcasting is a great opportunity for different voices to speak and be heard.

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