; and (2) provides recommendations for legislative action to lower the cost of prescription drugs for consumers and payors, improve the efficiency of the pharmaceutical supply chain by lowering intermediary costs, improve competition in pharmacy benefit management, and provide transparency in pharmacy benefit management. 5. Whistleblower protections (a) In general A pharmacy benefit manager, health plan, pharmaceutical manufacturer, pharmacy, or any affiliate, subsidiary, or agent thereof shall not, directly or indirectly, discharge, demote, suspend, diminish, or withdraw benefits from, threaten, harass, or in any other manner discriminate against or adversely impact a covered individual because— (1) the covered individual, or anyone perceived as assisting the covered individual, takes (or is suspected to have taken or will take) a lawful action in providing to Congress, an agency of the Federal Government, the attorney general of a State, a State regulator with authority over the distribution or insurance coverage of prescription drugs, or a law enforcement agency relating to any act or omission that the covered individual reasonably believes to be a violation of this Act; (2) the covered individual provides information that the covered individual reasonably believes evidences such a violation to— (A) a person with supervisory authority over the covered individual at the pharmacy benefit manager, health plan, pharmaceutical manufacturer, pharmacy, or any affiliate, subsidiary, or agent thereof; or (B) another individual working for the pharmacy benefit manager, health plan, pharmaceutical manufacturer, pharmacy, or any affiliate, subsidiary, or agent thereof who the covered individual reasonably believes has the authority to investigate, discover, or terminate the violation or to take any other action to address the violation; (3) the covered individual testifies (or it is suspected that the covered individual will testify) in an investigation or judicial or administrative proceeding concerning such a violation