top of page
Jan 3
Lawsuit in Minnesota deepens pharmacy benefit manager pushback against state regulations
The plaintiffs argue federal law lets employers structure medicine benefits in ways the 2019 state law threatens. Read the full story >
Nov 7, 2024
PBMs threaten future of small independent drug stores
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...
Nov 2, 2024
More Minnesotans face ‘pharmacy deserts’ with chain drugstore closures
KB Brown’s phone hasn’t stopped ringing since Walgreens shut its W. Broadway store last year, leaving one pharmacy to serve 67,000...
Oct 17, 2024
VP Kamala Harris is railing against PBMs, but what are they?
Most agree that pharmacy benefit managers entered the market in the 1980s as Americans started using more drugs than ever before. Read...
Sep 25, 2024
Letter: Pharmacy benefit managers threaten independent pharmacies
To the editor: The Associated Press recently exposed the pharmacy desert problem in rural Minnesota, where patients struggle to find...
Aug 9, 2024
Pharmacist's View: Minnesota pharmacies, patients demand reform
As an independent pharmacist, I have been watching companies like UnitedHealth Group consolidate their power over our health care system...
Jun 13, 2024
How a St. Paul pharmacy's fight for survival is tied to the 'middle men' of drug pricing
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...
May 28, 2024
Nearly 400 independent pharmacies have closed in Minnesota since 1996. Why?
Over its 65 years of business, Hunt’s Silver Lake Drug & Gift has built a reputation for taking care of the Rochester community’s...
Mar 19, 2024
Letter to the Editor: Congress should pass PBM reform legislation
As a nurse, I was frustrated that Congress failed to pass legislation that would reform broken insurer and Pharmacy Benefit Manager...
Feb 21, 2024
A Bipartisan Coalition of 39 State Attorneys General Urge Congressional Action on Pharmacy Benefit Manager Reform
The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) sent a letter to Congressional leaders on behalf of 39 attorneys general who urge...
Jul 14, 2023
Pharmacy benefit managers raise prescription drug prices
Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBM) have inserted themselves into the pharmaceutical world, hiking up the prices of prescription drugs. Mark...
May 4, 2023
Minnesota Pharmacist's View: Losing local pharmacies a hazard to Minnesotans' health care
From the column: "Three major companies control 80% of the prescription-drug market. ... These companies leverage their dominance to...
May 1, 2023
Commerce fines CVS Caremark $500,000 after 2022 case alleging violations of Pharmacy Benefit Manager
The Minnesota Department of Commerce today announced it has levied a $500,000 penalty against Caremark after alleging that Caremark...
Apr 12, 2023
State lawmakers are missing the opportunity to fix Minnesota’s glaring health problem
The most frustrating thing about health care in Minnesota, particularly for racial and ethnic minorities, is that we know what needs to...
Mar 1, 2023
Drug-Prices Investigation Focused on Middlemen Opens in Congress
House Republicans have launched an investigation into the companies that manage drug benefits, dialing up the scrutiny of the middlemen...
Dec 16, 2022
Through reverse auctions, Minnesota pushes for PBM savings and price transparency
Two large public sector health plans in Minnesota say they jointly will save more than $28 million over the next two years — and...
Oct 11, 2022
MN Modernizes Pharmacy Benefit Manager Marketplace, Achieves Historic Savings on Prescription Drugs
Bipartisan “Reverse Auction” for PBMs Creates Transparent and Technology-Enabled Competition that Results in 27 Percent Savings for...
Jun 30, 2021
MN Legislature Passes Historic Bill to Secure Prescription Drug Savings, Requiring PBMs to Compete
PBM Reverse Auction Will Usher Minnesota’s Drug Procurement Process into the Twenty-First Century Saint Paul, MN -- On June 30, 2021,...
May 12, 2021
Minnesota is on the cusp of a major health-policy achievement. Why it matters.
Bipartisan legislation would dramatically lower prescription drug costs in the state system, saving taxpayers millions of dollars... Read...
May 6, 2021
Minnesota Legislators Unite to Deliver Prescription Drug Savings to Taxpayers & State Employees
PBM Reverse Auction Will Save Tens Millions of Dollars Annually; Minnesota Coalition Comes Together to Support Legislation this Session...
May 4, 2021
IFO Letter to State Government Finance Conferees in support of SF 2178/ HF 2327
Download the letter as PDF >
May 4, 2021
Teamsters Joint Council 32 & Teamsters Local 320 Share Support for Senate File 2178/House File 2327
Download the letter as PDF >
May 3, 2021
Minnesota Association of Professional Employees Shares Support for S.F. 2178/ H.F. 2327
Download the letter as PDF >
Apr 30, 2021
Pharmacist's View: Independent pharmacies threatened by middle men
COVID-19 continues to spotlight the importance of pharmacies for communities across Minnesota. From the first days of the pandemic,...
bottom of page