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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.<\/p>\n
Federal legislation targeting PBMs has cleared committee with bipartisan support and now heads to the full U.S. House for a vote.<\/p>\n
\u2018You\u2019re not gonna keep your lights on\u2019<\/p>\n
Fair Jones, owner of Sav-Mor Drugs and Gifts in Grenada, said her store\u2019s gift section has kept the business solvent.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy gift side has kept me afloat the past probably three years,\u201d Jones said. \u201cYou\u2019re not gonna keep your lights on if you\u2019re just doing prescriptions and processing them through insurance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gaston Box, a pharmacist at Saver Express Pharmacy in Ridgeland, has also diversified options in the store for financial reasons.<\/p>\n
\u201cI make more on a milkshake than I make filling Losartan for your high blood pressure,\u201d Box said.<\/p>\n
Federal movement, state setbacks<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Jones said the federal committee vote signals broader recognition of the problem.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a bipartisan issue. It passed committee with an overwhelming vote,\u201d Jones said. \u201cAnd 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Box said Mississippi pharmacists will continue pushing for state action.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re tired of that. We deserve the help that we know we need,\u201d Box said. \u201cOther states are getting it. The federal government recognizes an issue. Why can\u2019t Mississippi do something?\u201d<\/p>\n
Box said the stakes extend beyond individual businesses.<\/p>\n
\u201cSave us so that we can continue to be your family,\u201d Box said. \u201cBecause 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
State legislation on PBM reform will not return to the Mississippi Legislature until January.<\/p>\n
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