top of page
Independent Pharmacies of Maryland
Search
Pharmacy deserts and the cost to rural America
Desert News Reporter: Valerie Braylovskiy In Heber-Overgaard, Arizona, everyone knows everyone. Tucked in the state’s White Mountains, the town has no stoplights or big-box stores — just open sky, wandering elk herds and a diner serving homemade strawberry shortcake for a few dollars. Its roughly 3,000 residents come from two unincorporated communities: Heber, settled by Latter-day Saints, and Overgaard, a former lumber hub. After merging in 1990, the twin towns became known
IPMD
7 min read
Why reforming PBMs is the key to lowering drug costs
The Orange County Register Author: Wayne Winegarden If lawmakers want to make pharmaceuticals more affordable, they should look past populist policies like price controls that will only make matters worse and set their sights on reforming the Pharmacy Benefit Manager market. PBMs manage the drug benefits for insurers and negotiate discounts with drug manufacturers. You probably use one every time you go to the pharmacy to get your medications refilled and don’t even realize i
IPMD
2 min read
We Can’t Have Lower Insurance Premiums and Drug Costs Without Reforming PBMs
DC Journal Author: Mark Merritt If Americans want to pay less for prescription drugs, there is no way to do it without reforming the Pharmacy Benefit Manager industry. Congress should do so by the end of this year. The PBMs, once known for reducing drug costs, no longer exist. Literally, they are no longer independent companies. They sit inside the insurance giants that own them. Cash machines to help health conglomerates hit quarterly numbers. For 15 years, I led the trade a
IPMD
1 min read
How A Pharma Giant Is Looting The Pentagon
The drug intermediary overseeing the military’s TRICARE pharmacy program is limiting access to care and overcharging taxpayers hundreds of dollars on average per prescription. The Lever Reporter: Helen Santoro One of the nation’s most powerful pharmacy intermediaries is quietly charging the military’s health insurance program $484 more on average per generic drug than independent and big chain pharmacies, according to exclusive data shared with The Lever. The scheme forces ta
IPMD
3 min read
The U.S. experiment with profit-driven health care has failed
The corporate takeover of health care has destroyed America’s health STAT Reporters: Steffie Woolhandler, David U. Himmelstein, Adam W. Gaffney, and Danny McCormick Health care costs are surging. ACA Marketplace premiums will rise 18% next year— even more for the millions set to lose their enhanced federal subsidies without congressional action. Meanwhile, big employers expect their premiums — already about $25,000 for family coverage — to increase 9% in 2026. Gargantuan he
IPMD
3 min read
To Lower Prescription Costs, Policymakers Must Keep Their Eyes on the Prize - Inside Sources
Prescott eNews At the speed of today’s news cycle, it can be hard to keep up with the latest healthcare policy news coming out of...
IPMD
1 min read
Drug price reform: 5 state-level bills and their potential national impacts
BenefitsPro Reporter: Wes Hill Whether it is regulating pharmaceutical manufacturers, health insurers, or pharmacy benefits managers,...
IPMD
3 min read
States Become More Aggressive with PBM Reform
State efforts are aiming to bring more disclosure and transparency to PBM practices, mandating certain pharmacy reimbursement levels,...
IPMD
4 min read
NC Senate passes bill to reform prescription drug market, enhance transparency
News & Observer Reporter: Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi The North Carolina Senate passed Wednesday, with unanimous support, a bill...
IPMD
2 min read
Pharmacist group tells Elon Musk's team to probe pharmacy benefit managers
A trade group hopes to aim the Department of Government Efficiency at its members' adversaries to "eliminate waste." ALM Benefits Pro...
IPMD
1 min read
Educate Patients About How PBMs’ Vertical Integration Impacts Their Health Care
Pharmacy Times Author: Muhammad Cheema, PharmD Imagine walking into your pharmacy only to find that your medication is no longer...
IPMD
2 min read
Commentary: Why your pharmacy may be disappearing
While multiple factors can contribute to a business closing, the additional costs Pharmacy Benefit Managers impose on pharmacies...
IPMD
2 min read
Save Local Pharmacies Act passes in both chambers in the Virginia general assembly
The bill aims to protect Virginians' access to healthcare and lower costs by creating a single benefit manager for the state's Medicaid...
IPMD
2 min read
Medicare Drug Price Negotiations Expose Community Pharmacies to Financial Risk
A survey conducted by 3 Axis Advisors revealed potential impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare Drug Price Negotiation...
IPMD
2 min read
As cuts loom, state Medicaid programs leave millions in drug rebates on the table
Yahoo News Reporter: Shalina Chatlani Chemotherapy drugs used in cancer treatments can be administered in a health provider’s office or...
IPMD
3 min read
Diagnosing the Problem With PBMs' Incentives
Real Clear Markets Reporter: Justin Leventhal Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBM) sit in the center of our prescription drug system,...
IPMD
2 min read
FTC finds middlemen inflate specialty generic drug prices by billions of dollars
CNN Reporter: Tami Luhby Pharmacy benefit managers, which serve as the middlemen between drug makers, insurers and pharmacies, reaped...
IPMD
1 min read
Pharmacy Benefit Managers Drive Up Costs
Newsmax Reporter: Mark Swanson Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., is taking aim at three pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) that operate...
IPMD
2 min read
How Pharmacy Benefit Managers Are Harming Patients—and What Policymakers Can Do About It
The Century Foundation Author: Thomas Waldrop , Fellow Earlier this year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that it had begun...
IPMD
5 min read
The Costly Failures Of Medicine’s Middlemen
Forbes Robert Pearl, M.D. Forbes Contributor The American medical system has become undeniably complex, a far cry from the days when...
IPMD
3 min read
bottom of page