As part of a concerted campaign to make lawmakers aware of the impact of Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) on the healthcare system, over 100 independent pharmacies in Kansas will close their doors next week.
About 100 stores in 56 counties throughout the state would be impacted by the shutdown, which are scheduled for Wednesday, February 5.
These closures are a calculated attempt to increase awareness and encourage changes to the regulations governing pharmacy practices, not merely a short-term annoyance for the communities they affect.
To raise awareness to the problem, some 400 pharmacy staff members from these companies will be traveling to Topeka to speak with state lawmakers and push for reform.
Leading the campaign is Wolkar Drug President Brian Caswell, a pharmacist with decades of experience. He has voiced serious concerns regarding PBMs’ increasing impact on Kansas healthcare.
PBMs act as go-betweens for pharmacies and insurance companies, and they are essential in deciding which drugs are covered by insurance policies.
By raising customer deductibles and raising overall expenses, Caswell contends that PBMs have hurt the healthcare sector generally.
According to him, these intermediaries put their own financial interests ahead of those of patients and independent pharmacies, which leads to greater out-of-pocket costs and restricted access to essential prescription drugs.
The ability of PBMs to determine which medications are covered by insurance plans based on their commercial interests rather than the requirements of patients is one of the main problems Caswell brings to light.
Even when a prescription isn’t the greatest choice for a patient, PBMs may occasionally decide to favor it based on profit margins. In addition to making it more difficult for pharmacists to give their patients the best care possible, this may result in increased expenses for consumers.
Caswell and other drugstore owners contend that this approach hurts their companies as well as the patients who depend on them for easily accessible, reasonably priced healthcare.
Many pharmacists, including Caswell, have collected letters from consumers voicing their displeasure with PBM practices and their effect on healthcare access in order to promote their cause.
Lawmakers will receive these letters as part of their attempts to push for legislative reforms.
Caswell urges citizens of Kansas to become active by contacting their federal and state lawmakers to express their views.
‘PBM’s have been around for, like, well over 40 years, and they’ve slowly kind of changed the industry altogether and taken over. With the success of money and power, they’ve actually created a healthcare industry that’s just unsustainable right now,” Brian Caswell, Wolkar Drug president & pharmacist stated.
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He thinks that by banding together and fighting for reform, the community can significantly impact the problems caused by PBMs and guarantee that healthcare is still available and reasonably priced for all Kansans.
The trip to Topeka and the impending drugstore closures are a part of a broader effort to hold PBMs responsible and defend the rights of independent pharmacies and their clients.
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By raising awareness of the problem, Caswell hopes that policymakers will take the required action to solve the issues brought on by PBMs, resulting in a more sustainable and equitable healthcare system for all parties.
