News
from the fight to #SaveIndiePharmacy
New York Times’ The Middlemen series
Lawsuit says CVS crossed 'ethical and legal line' while fighting late change to pharmacy bill
A lawsuit filed Wednesday alleges CVS Health Corp. broke the law when it sent a series of text messages to Louisiana residents asking them to lobby against a bill that would have impacted its bottom line.
Ex-FTC lawyers form new firm targeting US antitrust enforcement ‘gaps’
Three former U.S. Federal Trade Commission lawyers and a U.S. attorney who resigned in January opened a new plaintiffs law firm on Tuesday focused on unfair competition, price discrimination and other antitrust law violations.
Cub pharmacies, Twin Cities grocers facing disruptions in cyberattack on major distributor
UNFI, Cub’s parent company, also distributes food for other area grocery stores like Whole Foods, Kowalski’s and Lunds & Byerlys. It is still working to restore its systems after last week’s breach while its grocers deal with unstocked shelves and immobilized pharmacies.
Ramstad: Soda fountain out, vaccine hub in as St. Paul Corner Drug fights to survive
The century-old fountain closed during the pandemic. Now, pharmacy owner John Hoeschen needs room to administer shots and other services that are the main source of profit for drugstores.
St. Paul Corner Drug says farewell to its vintage soda fountain, warns of 'sobering trend' for pharmacies
The pharmacy says the healthcare system has been stacked against independent pharmacies.
What we lose when chain drugstores replace family-owned independents
When West Seventh Pharmacy closes, St. Paul will lose a piece of history and personal care.
St. Paul Corner Drug closing historic soda fountain
St. Paul Corner Drug's old-fashioned soda fountain began serving ice cream and coffee when the pharmacy opened in 1922.
Parents sue over son's asthma death days after inhaler price soared without warning
Cole Schmidtknecht, 22, had insurance but couldn’t afford to refill his asthma inhaler after the cost jumped from $70 to more than $500.
PBM Legislation in the Reconciliation Bill is Far From Sweeping PBM Reform
Over the past few years, Congress has attempted to pass “federal PBM reform.” Members of Congress have held numerous hearings related to PBMs and introduced numerous bills seeking to regulate PBMs. Despite the rhetoric in Washington about bipartisan support to regulate PBMs, Congress has not been able to pass meaningful PBM reform.
Public health and private equity: What the Walgreens buyout could mean for the future of pharmacy care
Sycamore Partners’ March acquisition of Walgreens raises big questions. What does Sycamore see in this investment, and what might their strategies imply about the future of American pharmacy care?
Jury Awards Major Damages Against Omnicare and CVS Health
After a month-long trial, a unanimous jury has concluded that Omnicare, the largest long-term care pharmacy in the US, dispensed drugs without valid prescriptions to elderly and disabled people living in long-term care facilities, and then fraudulently billing federal programs.
MinnesotaCare expansion is a matter of fiscal responsibility
Expanding MinnesotaCare to include undocumented workers is not just a matter of compassion; it is a matter of fiscal responsibility.
West Seventh Pharmacy to close after 110 years
The pharmacy, in continuous operation since 1915, will cease to exist in a neighborhood that once was dotted by a number of street-corner shops where a familiar face would fill a prescription while selling a customer a soda.
UnitedHealth’s collapse reveals the flaw at the heart of Medicare Advantage
The company faces three federal investigations, looking at allegations of civil and criminal fraud and antitrust violations. The Wall Street Journal reported in February, for instance, that the DOJ is investigating whether UnitedHealth made its clinician employees record questionable diagnoses that make Medicare Advantage patients appear sicker than they are.
Revealed: UnitedHealth secretly paid nursing homes to reduce hospital transfers
UnitedHealth Group, the nation’s largest healthcare conglomerate, has secretly paid nursing homes thousands in bonuses to help slash hospital transfers for ailing residents
The Topline: Tens of thousands of Minnesotans to lose health insurance
Roughly 150,000 Minnesotans would lose health insurance under congressional Republicans’ plan to cut funding for Medicaid and other social services, according to an estimate released last week by Democrats on the Senate Joint Economic Committee.
Gov. Walz, Minnesota lawmakers roll back state health care for undocumented adults
Several DFL lawmakers of color loudly protested behind a closed door Thursday morning as Gov. Tim Walz and lawmakers announced that undocumented adults will no longer have access to a state health insurance program after this year.
Independent pharmacists plead their case at Minnesota State Capitol after mass closures in recent years
The Minnesota Board of Pharmacy says 44% of Minnesota's pharmacies have closed since 2013.
Our stance on Trump’s drug pricing executive order
The National Community Pharmacists Association released their stance on Trump’s “Most Favorable Pricing” Executive Order, signed on Monday, May 12th.
Drugmakers including Purdue Pharma paid pharmacy benefit managers not to restrict painkiller prescriptions, a New York Times investigation found.