DES MOINES, Iowa — White coats were out in numbers at the Iowa Statehouse on Wednesday for Pharmacy Day on the Hill.

Outside of student pharmacists attending, pharmacist associations were there to support a bill that advanced out of a subcommittee in the Iowa Senate and House.

The bill looks to reform pharmacy benefit managers in the state and add new regulations for how they are able to operate. Pharmacy benefit managers or PBM’s serve as a go between pharmacists and insurance companies that help establish drug cost and where patients can go for care.

Pharmacists that are owning and operating current pharmacies or pharmacists that had to close down their operation spoke in the public hearing, saying that part of the reason more than 20 pharmacies in the state closed down last year is because of PBMs role, and pharmacists themselves having an oath to fill prescriptions even when it means losing dollars doing so.

“My wife and I own our pharmacy, purchase our own insurance. The PBM that administers our medication plan was refusing to pay for our medication at our pharmacy and were trying to steer us to a pharmacy that was 25 to 30 miles away,” said Cory Garvin, Wester Drug Pharmacy and Wellness.

Garvin recently had to shut down the location he testified about. While highlighting the issues with patients being redirected to pharmacies that may be difficult to get to, especially for the older population. Another pharmacist testified they had to drop a patient who needed a name brand drug. And with how payment was set up the pharmacy had to eat $300 every time the patient came in to get the critical medicine.

The bill also looks at a co-pay accumulator which would have insurance assist in costs and not pass the burden onto a patient. A family testified how how drug prices prevented them from getting their son much needed medication.

“Several years ago we were picking between paying groceries and giving our son treatment and since we picked groceries, right, cause you have to eat. We weren’t able to give my son medicine,” Brooke Loving, the executive director for Bleeding Disorders of the Heartland.

“Because I didn’t treat my shoulder I have damage and at nine I needed a shoulder replacement. I need my meds to do normal things,” said Jason Loving, Brooke’s son.

Those against the legislation were worried about the price of drugs not getting shifted back to insurers but instead would result in more costs the patient would pay.

“We do anticipate there will be quite significant costs,” said Scott Sundstrom, VP of Government Relations, Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield “…but we do think it will have very significant impacts on the people at the pharmacy counter that are struggling to pay for their drugs.

The Iowa Pharmacy Association was also at the event today holding a press conference about the legislation. The bill moves to the committee level in each chamber after passing in a bipartisan effort.

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