Instead of signing the pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reforms approved by both the Virginia House and Senate into law, Governor Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) amended the bill, replacing it with a study, and sent it back to the Legislature to vote on. NACDS RxIMPACT needs your help TODAY to urge state legislators to reject the Governor's amendment before April 2nd.

The Save Local Pharmacies Act (HB2610/SB875) passed both chambers with overwhelming bipartisan support, but Governor Youngkin (R-VA) amended the bill by deleting the reform provisions and replacing it with only a study of restructuring Medicaid Managed Care.

This amendment cannot stand. NACDS RxIMPACT needs your help calling on legislators to reject the Governor’s amendment. Without the amendment, this critical legislation establishes a single, state-contracted Pharmacy Benefits Manager for Medicaid, and addresses tactics of the current PBM middlemen that continue to drive up drug costs and threaten the survival of our local pharmacies. It streamlines and enhances transparency, paving the way for more efficient, cost-effective healthcare, ensuring that every community across Virginia maintains access to the personalized care only a local pharmacy can provide. 

Virginia has 19 rural counties with no pharmacies and many pharmacy deserts, and similarly positioned states like Ohio and Kentucky have both successfully adopted this model. Help us advocate to protect essential pharmacy services! Please type in your contact information and the letter-writing system will populate a letter to your state legislators and key leaders.

Our profession, our industry, and our patients are depending on you. If you have any questions about this communication, please contact Heidi Ecker, Vice President of Government, Political, and Digital Communications via email at Hecker@nacds.org.