Mississippi lawmakers face deadline on pharmacy benefit manager reform

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Independent pharmacists packed the State Capitol Tuesday, urging lawmakers to take action on pharmacy benefit manager reform before Thursday’s deadline.

Pharmacists say the next step for House Bill 1665 could decide whether some local pharmacies can stay open.

Pharmacy benefit managers are the middlemen between pharmacies and insurance companies.

“You’ve been dealing with these folks since they were babies. I mean, it’s about patient care. It’s not just about the pharmacies. I mean, we just need to be paid well enough that we can stay in business to support these people,” said Joe Mohamed, president of the Mississippi Independent Pharmacy Association.

Business groups oppose Senate changes

Business groups are pushing back against a dispensing fee added by the Senate.

They claim the fee could raise costs for employers and employees. Pharmacists argue other states have done the same without increasing costs.

“States all around us have done this exact same thing… they haven’t raised costs,” pharmacist Fair Jones said.

Sen. Jeremy England said it’s a complex issue, but he hopes lawmakers will figure it out.

“A lot of our legislators have issue fatigue with this. We want to get something done, like get it to the finish line. We’ve talked about this. We’re ready to have it done,” England said.

England is among those who didn’t think the dispensing fee should have been added in the Senate version.

“It ends up being a big cost when you have a big employer…with thousands and tens of thousands of employees,” he said.

White House weighs in

In an unusual move, the White House sent a memo last week asking the House not to concur with the Senate changes.

The memo said the changes risk undermining key administration priorities, particularly those related to expanding access to affordable prescriptions.

Rep. Stacey Hobgood Wilkes questioned the memo’s validity.

“I give that letter zero credibility,” she said. Hobgood Wilkes said she worries history may repeat itself.

“If it goes to conference, with everything in me, I believe the bill is dead,” she said.

Pharmacists are making their final pleas for the House to concur with the Senate version.

“It is enough to keep my pharmacies from closing, yes, and probably most everybody behind me too,” Mohamed said.

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