A bill that would end the state’s ban on non-profit hospitals from holding a retail pharmacy license did not make it out of committee last week, but is expected to come back up in the Arkansas Senate, possibly as early as this week. Senate Bill 58 is sponsored by Republican Senator Jonathan Dismang of Searcy who says the legislation is intended to make it easier for patients to obtain the medication they need before being discharged from the hospital. Locally owned pharmacies are worried passage of the bill could severely hurt their businesses.
The bill failed to get a majority vote in the Senate Health, Welfare and Labor committee with four votes in favor and four votes against. Three area legislators cast votes on the bill. Among those voting in favor were Republican Senators Scott Flippo of Bull Shoals and Missy Irvin of Mountain View, who is a co-sponsor of the bill. Among those voting against was Republican Senator John Payton of Wilburn.
John Vinson is a licensed pharmacist and the CEO of the Arkansas Pharmacy Association. He says they nearly had an agreement on a similar bill two years ago. He says the bill presented last week by Senator Dismang would repeal legislation passed in 1975 and allow non-profit hospitals to open pharmacies throughout the state.
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Vinson says one of the biggest threats of the bill is smaller pharmacies losing out to the big hospitals like what has happened in Missouri.
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He says locally owned pharmacies can also offer durable medical equipment, diabetes testing and glucose monitoring.
Vinson says they are still open to some type of compromise to the bill.
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North Dakota requires pharmacies to be at least 51% owned by the pharmacy, allowing hospitals to own no more than 49%. Arkansas is the only state that doesn’t allow non-profit hospitals from holding a retail pharmacy license.
Vinson says he believes the state is leading the nation in healthcare.
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Vinson wanted to point out pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) are another reason locally owned pharmacies are struggling financially, something that was mentioned in an interview on KTLO last week with State Senator Scott Flippo.
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The legislation is House Bill 1150. Arkansas is the first state to introduce such legislation. Click here to view it.
We’ll continue with Part Two of this story as we hear from Baxter Health President and CEO Ron Peterson.
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