logo
Alabama lawmakers advance regulations on pharmacy benefit managers

Alabama lawmakers advance regulations on pharmacy benefit managers

Yahoo21-03-2025

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Two blocks from the Alabama Statehouse, a black wreath hung on the door of Adams Drugs — a symbol to draw attention to the number of neighborhood pharmacies that have closed, or are in danger of closing, across the state.
Dozens of independent pharmacies have shuttered in Alabama over the last two years, according to the Alabama Independent Pharmacy Alliance. Pharmacists said that is because of financial pressures, in part, because it can often cost more to dispense a drug than they are reimbursed by pharmacy benefit managers.
'We're losing almost one drugstore per week going out of business because they are paid such a small amount of money from the PBM industry to fill prescriptions for their patients at their drugstore,' Sen. Billy Beasley, a Democratic senator and retired pharmacist, said.
Alabama is one of several states considering new regulations on pharmacy benefit managers, the middlemen between health insurance companies, drug companies and pharmacies. The Alabama Senate voted 32-0 Thursday to advance legislation to require minimum reimbursement rates to community pharmacists. The bill now moves to the Alabama House of Representatives.
Legislation seeking regulations on the benefit managers have also been proposed in Mississippi, Arkansas and other states. Both large retail chains and independent pharmacists have closed stores across the country as drugstores face reimbursement issues, rising costs and other challenges.
Pharmacy benefit managers leverage purchasing power with drug companies with the goal of driving down drug costs for consumers. However, independent pharmacists say the business practices of benefit managers cause them to lose money on about 20% of prescriptions.
'The biggest issue is we're not getting paid what it actually cost to fill a prescription, including labor,' Trent McLemore, a pharmacist with Star Discount Pharmacy.
The Alabama bill would require that PBMs reimburse community pharmacies at the Alabama Medicaid Agency reimbursement rate. It would also prohibit the practice of 'spread pricing' where a benefits manager charges health plans more for drugs than they pay pharmacies.
Groups opposed to the bill have said it would effectively put a new $10.64 fee on prescriptions under the requirement to match state Medicaid rates, which include a $10.64 dispensing fee. That fee, they argued, will eventually get passed down to consumers and businesses.
Helena Duncan, president of the Business Council of Alabama, told a legislative committee on Wednesday that small businesses, which might already be struggling to provide insurance to their workers, will have to either absorb the increased cost or pass it along to employees through premium increases.
'Shifting the financial burdens from pharmacies to the Alabama employers is fundamentally unfair,' Duncan told a legislative committee on Wednesday.
Republican Sen. Andrew Jones, a cosponsor of the bill, said Thursday said other states have seen drug prices go down. Jones said it is important to protect neighborhood pharmacies because they play a vital role in communities.
'You are not going to get a big box store to open in the middle of the night to get you the medication you need,' Jones said.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Why Elon Musk turned against Trump's $5 trillion mega tax and spending bill
Why Elon Musk turned against Trump's $5 trillion mega tax and spending bill

CNBC

time18 minutes ago

  • CNBC

Why Elon Musk turned against Trump's $5 trillion mega tax and spending bill

President Donald Trump is pushing to pass a sweeping tax and spending bill by July 4, but the proposal is already sparking fierce internal GOP debate. The bill combines 2017 tax cut extensions with new Trump-era proposals, including deductions on American-made auto loans and changes to child tax credits. But not everyone is on board. Elon Musk has launched a high-profile feud with Trump over the bill, and key Republican senators are warning that the bill could add trillions to the national debt.

UK and others sanction 2 far-right Israeli Cabinet ministers over violence in the occupied West Bank
UK and others sanction 2 far-right Israeli Cabinet ministers over violence in the occupied West Bank

The Hill

time22 minutes ago

  • The Hill

UK and others sanction 2 far-right Israeli Cabinet ministers over violence in the occupied West Bank

JERUSALEM (AP) — Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway said Tuesday they have imposed sanctions on two far-right Israeli government ministers for allegedly 'inciting extremist violence' against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The decision by Western governments friendly to Israel was a sharp rebuke of Israel's settlement policies in the West Bank and of settler violence, which has spiked since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack ignited the war in the Gaza Strip. Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, key partners in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition, are champions of Israeli settlement who support continuing the war in Gaza, facilitating what they call the voluntary emigration of its Palestinian population and the rebuilding of Jewish settlements there. They could now face asset freezes and travel bans. The five countries' foreign ministers said in a joint statement that Ben-Gvir and Smotrich 'have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights. Extremist rhetoric advocating the forced displacement of Palestinians and the creation of new Israeli settlements is appalling and dangerous.' U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the two men 'have been inciting violence against Palestinian people for months and months and months' and 'encouraging egregious abuses of human rights.' Israel's Foreign Ministry said earlier it had been informed of the sanctions. Smotrich, the finance minister, wrote on social media that he learned of the sanctions while he was inaugurating a new West Bank settlement. 'We are determined to continue building,' he said. 'We overcame Pharoah, we'll overcome Starmer's Wall.' Ben-Gvir, the national security minister, wrote on social media, referring to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called the sanctions decision 'outrageous.' He said he had discussed it with Netanyahu and they would meet next week to discuss Israel's response. Netanyahu is the target of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court last year over alleged war crimes in Gaza, part of a global wave of outrage at Israel's conduct during its 20-month war against Hamas. Netanyahu has denied the allegations and accused the the court of being biased against Israel. The Biden administration took the rare step of sanctioning radical Israeli settlers implicated in violence in the occupied West Bank — sanctions that were lifted by President Donald Trump. Eitay Mack, an Israeli human rights lawyer who spent years campaigning for the sanctions on Smotrich and Ben-Gvir — along with violent West Bank settlers — described Tuesday's move as 'historic.' 'It means the wall of immunity that Israeli politicians had has been broken,' he said. 'It's unbelievable that it took so long for Western governments to sanction Israeli politicians, and the fact that it's being done while Trump is president is quite amazing.' Mack added: 'It is a message to Netanyahu himself that he could be next.' Israel captured the West Bank, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians want all three territories for a future state. Successive Israeli governments have promoted settlement growth and construction stretching back decades. It has exploded under Netanyahu's far-right coalition, which has settlers in key Cabinet posts. There are now well over 100 settlements across the West Bank that house more than 500,000 settlers. The settlers have Israeli citizenship, while the territory's 3 million Palestinians live under Israeli military rule, with the Palestinian Authority administering population centers. Most of the international community considers the settlements illegal, and Palestinians see them as the greatest obstacle to an eventual two-state solution, which is still seen internationally as the only way to resolve the conflict. ___ Lawless reported from London. ___ Follow AP's war coverage at

California woman sues Costco for $14M after display fell on her, causing ‘permanent injuries'
California woman sues Costco for $14M after display fell on her, causing ‘permanent injuries'

New York Post

time24 minutes ago

  • New York Post

California woman sues Costco for $14M after display fell on her, causing ‘permanent injuries'

A California woman is suing Costco for more than $14 million after a cabinet allegedly fell on top of her in a store – claiming the incident caused her a traumatic brain injury. Sadie Novotny was walking down a Costco store aisle on March 22 when a heavy liquor cabinet fell and pinned her to the ground, a complaint filed in April alleged. The Bay Area woman claimed the large cabinet had 'thin legs' and was balanced precariously on a 'worn' and 'inadequate' wooden pallet in a Costco store in Santa Rosa, according to the lawsuit. Costco was sued for over $14 million after the woman's injury. AP The incident allegedly left Novotny with multiple permanent and severe injuries, including traumatic brain injury, the suit said. Novotny is seeking approximately $5 million for pain, suffering and inconvenience; $5 million for emotional distress; $100,000 for medical expenses and loss of earnings; and $4 million for future medical expenses and loss of earnings. The plaintiff, 46, works as a private practice psychotherapist, specializing in marriage and family counseling, according to her LinkedIn and several background check sites. The lawsuit alleges Costco is responsible for negligence in failing to adequately operate its store and manage merchandise, as well as failing to train, manage and supervise employees so the heavy liquor cabinet did not fall on the plaintiff. Lawyers for Novotny and Costco did not immediately respond to The Post's requests for comment. While the suit was originally filed in Alameda County Superior Court, it was moved to the Northern District Court at Costco's request. Both parties are due in court in September for a case management meeting.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store