Pharmacy/Independent Pharmacy

Excessive prescription refilling by mail-order pharmacies leaves piles of unneeded pills; 'Every time, there are 15 extra' The Wall Street Journal Reporters: Christopher Weaver , Tom McGinty , and Anna Wilde Mathews U nitedHealth Group’s pharmacy mailed Medicare recipient Bill Zielinski so many refills of the cholesterol drug atorvastatin that his unused stash could last a year on the pill-a-day regimen his doctor ordered. Excessive refilling is common practice at U.S. mail-

“We have accomplished a feat so rarely seen in Washington. We’ve brought the most extreme democrats and republicans together to agree and work towards the same goal.”   – Dr. Nikki Adams-Bryant, Adams Family Pharmacy, Preston GA On Thursday, December 11th, 55 pharmacy professionals from 22 states and the District of Columbia joined Representatives Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), Sanford Bishop (D-GA), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and House Oversight Chair James Co

December 11, 2025 Washington, DC To learn more about the Pharmacists Fight Back Act and to contact your federal legislator, visit PharmacistsFightBack.org

The Independence Bucks County Author: Dr Marion Mass On January 10, 2024, 22-year-old Cole Schmidtknecht of Appleton, Wisconsin, went to his big-box pharmacy and was told that a preventative asthma inhaler he had relied on for years was no longer covered by his insurer. He would have to pay over $500 for it — out of pocket. Cole left without the inhaler. On January 21, 2024, he died as a consequence of a severe asthma attack. His father, Bil, who had the same insurance provi

Mark your calendars for Thursday, December 11, 10 am ET . That’s when Representatives Jake Auchincloss and Diana Harshbarger, together with some of our profession’s most outspoken advocates, will announce the filing of the Pharmacists Fight Back Act  bills in Medicaid/Medicare and the federal employee benefits plan.  Following on the heels of Representative Buddy Carter's PBM Reform Act (HR 4317), the Pharmacists Fight Back Act bills  are the most comprehensive federal PBM re

Let’s cut straight to it: the most powerful voice in healthcare policy isn’t a lobbyist, a trade association, or a polished talking point crafted in a Washington office. It’s a constituent. A real human being who can look their lawmaker in the eye and say, “Here is what your decisions are doing to my community.” And in pharmacy, that voice is us . The word “lobbying” actually has a colorful history.  It traces back to the days when someone would wait in the lobbies of legisla

Real Clear Health Reporter: Justin Leventhal In the past decade, independent drugstores have been vanishing, especially in low-income, minority, and rural communities, in part due to pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) having rigged the system in favor of their own pharmacies. By steering patients to in-house pharmacies and squeezing independent pharmacies with hidden fees,  PBMs are driving local pharmacies out of business . This loss of competition hits vulnerable communities

It’s time! The most comprehensive federal pro-pharmacy/pharmacy patient PBM reform legislation is poised to be filed, so it’s time for all of us  to take the first step of our campaign - yes, during the government shutdown - to support advancing this legislation to eventual successful enactment. A Quick PFB Recap: Two Bills, One Mission The  Pharmacists Fight Back Act  (PFB) is now strategically split into two bills to allow for relevant jurisdictional process. “PFB Medicare

You’ve probably heard of ghost kitchens, those restaurants that exist only on delivery apps with no physical storefront for customers to visit. But have you ever heard of ghost networks? They’re not spooky Halloween décor or the latest streaming conspiracy. Ghost networks are the phantom pharmacy networks that pharmacy benefit managers and insurance companies claim to exist on paper, but have little basis in reality. If you’ve ever tried to help a patient find an in-network p

Your Move America TRICARE. You already know what’s happening. You’ve seen the reimbursement rates. You’ve watched patients walk away empty-handed because their TRICARE plan won’t let you fill their prescriptions. You’ve eaten the cost on both brands and generics while wondering how this could be real. You’ve weathered being paid $0.84 in total to dispense. And you’ve kept showing up — because that’s what pharmacists do. But knowing isn’t enough anymore. TRICARE isn’t just bro

Oregon Bend Bulletin Author: Monique Whitney, PUTT Executive Director The 85 community and independent pharmacies in Oregon are on the...

There will never be a better opportunity to swing out big for aggressive, meaningful PBM reform. The moment is now. Let’s do this...

Author: Kayla Copeland At the heart of Tennessee’s PBM reforms is the Maximum Allowable Cost (MAC) law. A MAC is the reimbursement cap a...

How the CBO Became PBMs’ Sidekick If you think the biggest obstacle to fixing PBMs is their billion-dollar lobby, bless your heart, because you’re only half right. The other half? A government spreadsheet in D.C. quietly strangling real reform before it ever has a chance. Meet the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The unelected, unaccountable scorekeeper that can take a bipartisan, common-sense bill and file it under “too expensive” with the click of a keystroke. Officially,

Northwest Arkansas Gazette Reporter: Nathan Ansell Twelve pharmacy benefit managers have been found in violation of a rule requiring...

PUTTbulletin July 2025 The politics of pharmacy and PBM reform have reached an inflection point. The era of incrementalism, such as it existed, is over. We’ve demonstrated that we’re hardworking team players, capable of being gracious and accepting when our part of PBM reform policy ends up on the cutting room floor because, well, “politics”. We’ve seen the movie making its second, third or fifth run through the halls of Congress this year and we know how it ends. So to you,

Author: Deborah Keaveny, PUTT President, MNindys Founder In June of 2020 the Minnesota Independent Pharmacists ( MNIndys ) was created as...

PUTTbulletin June 2025 As we reach the midpoint of 2025, we’re looking back with pride and joy on a remarkable 6 months of grassroots advocacy, legislative victories (some of them outright miraculous, Virginia) and our collective work to protect independent pharmacies and patient access to care. Join us celebrating these wins - your wins - with the certainty that we’re only gaining momentum, and more wins are on the way: One Big Beautiful Win: Eliminating Mandatory NADAC Repo

How ERISA, Medicare Part D, and their New “Mandate” Smokescreens Keep States from Cleaning Up the PBM Mess Every time a state passes a law to hold pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) accountable — whether it’s banning spread pricing, requiring fair reimbursement, or protecting patient choice — you can bet the PBM lawyers are already in the wings, sharpening their favorite legal sword: preemption. The two blades they use most often? ERISA and Medicare Part D. But lately, the PBM

Ohio Capital Journal Reporter: Marty Schladen Owners of small pharmacies — many themselves members of local chambers of commerce — are...