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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BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – A push to name a proposed new Mississippi River bridge after President Donald Trump has moved forward at the Louisiana State Capitol.

House Bill 221 passed through the full House by a vote of 68 to 26 on Monday, March 23. The proposal will now head to the Senate side for debate by lawmakers there.

Louisiana State Rep. Michael Echols, a Republican, said the intent behind the bill is to get the attention and support of the federal government. As a result, lawmakers hope to receive federal funding for the project and eliminate the need for a toll on the bridge.

According to the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, about $400 million has already been invested in the effort to build the new bridge. However, officials are still working on a funding plan and have not ruled out tolling.

Louisiana State Transportation Secretary Glenn Ledet said formal public meetings will be held. He added that he expects to either determine a final bridge location by the end of 2026 or move forward with another study.

At this time, three possible locations for the new bridge all cross over the river between LA 1 and LA 30 in Iberville Parish.

The following additional details about the locations have been released:

• PLAN 1: Crosses river between LA 1 just south of Plaquemine near Old Evergreen Road and LA 30 just south of the EBR/Iberville Parish line near Anytime Fitness, which is about two miles south of where Bluebonnet Boulevard connects with LA 30.
• PLAN 2: Crosses river between LA 1 near the Shintech main access road and LA 30 just south of the EBR/Iberville Parish line near Anytime Fitness, which is about two miles south of where Bluebonnet Boulevard connects with LA 30.
• PLAN 3: Crosses river between LA 1 near the Shintech Plant main access road and LA 30 at Gordon Simon LeBlanc Drive near the St. Gabriel Community Center.

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