RIDGELAND, Miss. (WLBT) – Independent pharmacists in Mississippi are looking to Washington, D.C. for relief after repeated failures at the state level to reform pharmacy benefit managers, the middlemen who control what pharmacies get paid for prescriptions.
Federal legislation targeting PBMs has cleared committee with bipartisan support and now heads to the full U.S. House for a vote.
‘You’re not gonna keep your lights on’
Fair Jones, owner of Sav-Mor Drugs and Gifts in Grenada, said her store’s gift section has kept the business solvent.
“My gift side has kept me afloat the past probably three years,” Jones said. “You’re not gonna keep your lights on if you’re just doing prescriptions and processing them through insurance.”
Gaston Box, a pharmacist at Saver Express Pharmacy in Ridgeland, has also diversified options in the store for financial reasons.
“I make more on a milkshake than I make filling Losartan for your high blood pressure,” Box said.
Federal movement, state setbacks
Both pharmacists have advocated for PBM reform at the state level in recent legislative sessions. The business community has served as the main opposition, citing concerns that reform could raise premium costs.
Jones said the federal committee vote signals broader recognition of the problem.
“It’s a bipartisan issue. It passed committee with an overwhelming vote,” Jones said. “And it just goes to show that this is not only affecting the entire country, but that people on both sides of the aisle know they need to do something to fix it.”
The federal legislation is limited in scope, applying only to federal healthcare plans. A companion bill targeting Medicare and Medicaid patients is also moving through Congress.
Box said Mississippi pharmacists will continue pushing for state action.
“We’re tired of that. We deserve the help that we know we need,” Box said. “Other states are getting it. The federal government recognizes an issue. Why can’t Mississippi do something?”
Box said the stakes extend beyond individual businesses.
“Save us so that we can continue to be your family,” Box said. “Because right now there are independent pharmacies all across this state… they cannot pay their bills, pay for the medications, do what they went to school and love to do and serve their communities.”
State legislation on PBM reform will not return to the Mississippi Legislature until January.
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