Letter to the Editor: Legislation Supports Local Pharmacies

I was thankful to hear that our state legislature recently passed a bipartisan bill – which was then signed into law – that will benefit the health care of all Wisconsinites and lower prescription-medication costs at local pharmacies.

According to Shane Resch, a pharmacist who co-owns several Wisconsin pharmacies and who wrote an article for New Media, Inc., the new law is “an important step to improving patients’ ability to access affordable care, increasing transparency in the prescription drug pricing process and reining in the power of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).”

Pharmacists such as Resch are small-business owners in the complicated, demanding health care industry who are also trying to care for those coming through their doors. They use groups such as pharmacy services administrative organizations (PSAOs) to navigate the difficult bureaucracy.

In addition, big pharmacy competitors and PBMs constantly create large hurdles for these small businesses. PBMs in particular hold great power over small, local pharmacies, which has led to many closings nationwide. PBMs have significant control over prescription prices and take advantage of small pharmacies and their customers for their own gain.

For me and other Wisconsinites to continue getting our trusted care from local, independent pharmacies, we must hold PBMs accountable. Pharmacists use organizations such as PSAOs to defend themselves and protect their patients’ interests, but our state must also ensure that PBMs aren’t using their power and size to harm the local pharmacies that so many Wisconsinites depend on. 

This recent law is a step in the right direction toward protecting local pharmacies and helping to lower the cost of prescription drugs.

Stephanie Soucek

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin