NORFOLK, Va. — An effort to support local pharmacies in Virginia took a major step forward this week. State lawmakers in the House and Senate passed the Save Local Pharmacies Act.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Aaron Rouse (D-Virginia Beach), aims to help protect access to healthcare and lower costs for Virginians by creating a single pharmacy benefit manager for the state’s Medicaid program. Pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, serve as a sort of middleman between insurance companies and pharmacies, but many pharmacists say too many PBMs are involved, which has led to rising costs and lack of transparency.
“This is the beginning,” said Dr. Henry Ranger, a Williamsburg-based pharmacist. “It’s a major step, but the fight definitely continues.”
According to pharmacists, Medicaid reimburses pharmacies an average of $1 per prescription, which is less than the $10 average cost of dispensing prescriptions.
Ranger owns and operates the Prescription Shoppe, alongside his wife and fellow pharmacist, Dr. Jade Ranger. The doctors say the bill is a gamechanger for their industry.
“The fact that it will just be the one [PBM] the transparency will be there. Right now, it’s very convoluted and we have no idea these fees are and where these fees are going,” said Dr. Henry Ranger.
The Rangers said the costs are ultimately passed to the patients.
“Now that is negatively impacting the patients number 1, and the pharmacies number 2, because if we are not here, the patients aren’t getting the same level of care,” said Dr. Jade Ranger.
Dr. Anna Peoples of Peoples Pharmacy in Norfolk devised the blueprint for the bill and told 13News Now it will protect pharmacies like hers.
“At the end of the day, this is the only healthcare access that a lot of people have, especially in the rural areas. It would allow us to transition to a business model where we are not dependent on the [pharmacy benefit managers] for profits,” said Dr. Peoples.
The legislative push comes as the number of pharmacies in Virginia has dropped in recent years.
According to the Virginia Pharmacy Association, more than 20 counties in Virginia have one or no pharmacies. Their executive director, Jamie Fischer, said this means many Virginians lack access to essential health care, such as medicine and vaccines.
Fischer said this bill will not only protect independent pharmacies, but chain pharmacies as well, and that if it becomes law, the bill could save Virginia $39 million annually in administrative costs.
Just weeks ago, Virginia Commonwealth University researchers published a study showing 51 pharmacy deserts in the state and 44 locations where adding pharmacy services could benefit more than 10,000 residents.
Researchers found seven deserts in Norfolk, three deserts in Newport News, and three deserts in Chesapeake.
“When a pharmacy goes away, it’s not just the ability to fill your prescription that goes away,” said Dr. Teresa Salgado of VCU School of Pharmacy.
And that could mean less access to medicine and vaccines, she said.
The Rangers said this bill is only one step of many to help Virginians stay healthy. They say this move is big on the state level, but changes are still needed at the federal level.
“We will be celebrating six years next Thursday, and we want to be here another 60 years, God willing,” said Dr. Jade Ranger. “But we can’t do it in the current payment structure that exists right now.”
Governor Glenn Youngkin still has to sign the bill.