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Lawmakers seek answers as pharmacy closures hit PA communities
About 1,100 Pennsylvania pharmacies closed since 2020, raising concerns over enforcement of Act 77 and pharmacy benefit managers' impact on rural and underserved communities.
- A bipartisan group of state lawmakers, including State Sen. Judy Ward and State Sen. Lindsey Williams, pressed the Insurance Department over enforcement over the past year, following a July 1 letter to Commissioner Humphreys.
- PBM practices such as clawbacks and spread pricing have pressured community pharmacies, while industry turmoil and trends like Rite Aid closures have driven losses among independent and chain pharmacies across Pennsylvania.
- State records show about 1,100 licensed Pennsylvania pharmacies closed since early 2020, and Act 77 covers about 24% of the state's insurance market with transparency reports due in July.
- Patients and pharmacy workers say closures have left some without medicines, forcing patients across Pennsylvania to travel farther and wait longer, while the Shapiro administration and Pennsylvania Insurance Department defend the law's rollout as transparent.
- Aspects of Act 77 are expected to roll out in 2026, while the Pennsylvania Insurance Department faces jurisdictional limits, and the state legislature urges more action to close enforcement gaps.
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12 Articles
12 Articles
Lawmakers seek answers as pharmacy closures hit PA communities
HARRISBURG — As pharmacy closures have continued across the state, a bipartisan group of lawmakers has questioned how the Shapiro administration is following through on the promises of a 2024 law meant to support these stores. They’ve also questioned the state’s oversight of corporate middlemen, known as pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), who manage drug plans for employers and insurance companies. Critics say they harm patients by driving up dru…
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Total News Sources12
Leaning Left3Leaning Right0Center3Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Left, 50% Center
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Left, 50% of the sources are Center
50% Center
L 50%
C 50%
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