Gov. Sanders signs bill that prevents pharmacy benefit managers from owning pharmacies

Bills on women's health signed into law

Governor Sarah Sanders signed more bills into law today. Two of the acts expand insurance coverage for breast cancer screenings and treatment options.

Arkansas governor signs first-in-the-nation ban on drug middlemen owning pharmacies

Greg Reybold (seated), vice president of Healthcare Policy at the American Pharmacy Cooperative, expresses support for Arkansas banning pharmacy benefit managers from owning pharmacy permits at the Arkansas Capitol on Tuesday, April 8, 2025. At right is John Vinson, CEO of the Arkansas Pharmacists Association, who also supported the policy. (Tess Vrbin/Arkansas Advocate)Arkansas became the first state in the nation to prevent healthcare conglome…

State Bans PBMs From Owning Pharmacies

(MedPage Today) -- Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) signed legislation Wednesday prohibiting pharmacy benefit managers from owning or operating pharmacies, becoming the first state to enact such a restriction. The measure comes as other...

Arkansas Governor signs dozens of bills into law

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a sweeping package of legislation into law Wednesday, enacting measures addressing health care, education, public safety, and economic policy across the state. Among the bills signed was SB9, known as the “Make Arkansas Healthy Again Act,” which bans the sale and distribution of food containing certain substances deemed harmful to human health. Also passed was SB576, expanding Medicaid coverage to incl…

Economic development board says yes to pharmacies - Malheur Enterprise

Malheur County’s economic development board approved a $250,000 loan to help Valley Family Health Care build two new pharmacies and renovate two others by next January. Ken Hart, chief executive of Valley Family Health Care, told the Eastern Oregon Border Board on Monday, April 7, that the pharmacy expansion to preserve access to reduced prices to drug prices through a federal drug program. The federal program allows eligible health providers to…

Letter: It’s time for reforms to pharmacy benefit rules

I’m tired of seeing patients fight with insurers and pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, just to be able to access the medications they need. These middlemen companies do nothing but get in between patients and their treatments. As someone who has had both parents suffer from severe health challenges, I urge our state’s leaders to champion long-overdue PBM reform in Washington. It’s a well-known fact that PBMs have taken in billions of dollars i…