As the Minnesota Legislature nears the end of the 2026 session, lawmakers are considering HF 3609, a bill that would expand the 340B drug discount program with little to no additional oversight or accountability to help ensure the program is working as intended. A report released by the Minnesota Department of Health earlier this year found that aspects of the program, particularly contract pharmacy arrangements and the involvement of for-profit intermediaries have evolved in

Cori Roberts was living in a rented basement four years ago when she was diagnosed with early-stage cervical cancer. This story also ran on The Minnesota Star Tribune. It can be republished for free. Recently divorced, the former stay-at-home mother had started working again in her mid-40s, taking a human resources job that paid $41,000 a year. Then, despite having insurance, she was hit with more than $8,000 in medical bills... Read the full piece >

The Minnesota Department of Health’s latest report on 340B covered entities is an important step toward transparency, but only scratches the surface of a much deeper problem. Minnesotans are paying too much for their prescriptions while powerful middlemen quietly cash in. The 340B program was created so hospitals and clinics in rural or underserved communities could buy medicines at steep discounts and use the savings to lower costs and expand care for low‑income patients.

The nation's three largest pharmacy benefit managers have significantly marked up the prices of certain medicines, including for heart...

The plaintiffs argue federal law lets employers structure medicine benefits in ways the 2019 state law threatens. Read the full story >

For over 35 years I’ve worked as a community pharmacist in Saint Paul, observing the evolution of our health care system. As the owner of...

KB Brown’s phone hasn’t stopped ringing since Walgreens shut its W. Broadway store last year, leaving one pharmacy to serve 67,000...

Most agree that pharmacy benefit managers entered the market in the 1980s as Americans started using more drugs than ever before. Read...

To the editor: The Associated Press recently exposed the pharmacy desert problem in rural Minnesota, where patients struggle to find...

As an independent pharmacist, I have been watching companies like UnitedHealth Group consolidate their power over our health care system...

Lavonne Meyer is no stranger to the St. Paul Corner Drug Store. The 87-year-old has fond memories of bringing her children to the corner...

Over its 65 years of business, Hunt’s Silver Lake Drug & Gift has built a reputation for taking care of the Rochester community’s...

As a nurse, I was frustrated that Congress failed to pass legislation that would reform broken insurer and Pharmacy Benefit Manager...

The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) sent a letter to Congressional leaders on behalf of 39 attorneys general who urge...

Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBM) have inserted themselves into the pharmaceutical world, hiking up the prices of prescription drugs. Mark...

From the column: "Three major companies control 80% of the prescription-drug market. ... These companies leverage their dominance to...

The Minnesota Department of Commerce today announced it has levied a $500,000 penalty against Caremark after alleging that Caremark...

The most frustrating thing about health care in Minnesota, particularly for racial and ethnic minorities, is that we know what needs to...

House Republicans have launched an investigation into the companies that manage drug benefits, dialing up the scrutiny of the middlemen...

Two large public sector health plans in Minnesota say they jointly will save more than $28 million over the next two years — and...

Bipartisan “Reverse Auction” for PBMs Creates Transparent and Technology-Enabled Competition that Results in 27 Percent Savings for...

PBM Reverse Auction Will Usher Minnesota’s Drug Procurement Process into the Twenty-First Century Saint Paul, MN -- On June 30, 2021,...

Bipartisan legislation would dramatically lower prescription drug costs in the state system, saving taxpayers millions of dollars... Read...

PBM Reverse Auction Will Save Tens Millions of Dollars Annually; Minnesota Coalition Comes Together to Support Legislation this Session...