On March 2, 2020, the Texas Pharmacy Association joined national and state pharmacy associations in a significant move to fight pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) at the Supreme Court. The Arkansas Pharmacists Association (APA), American Pharmacists Association (APhA), National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA), and 51 other pharmacy associations filed an amicus brief supporting states’ rights to regulate PBMs in a landmark case.
The Supreme Court will hear Arkansas' precedent-setting case, Rutledge v. Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, on April 27. At issue is whether the federal retirement/ insurance law known as ERISA preempts state laws from regulating the PBMs, whose unfair business practices hinder patients’ access to much-needed medication and threaten the continued viability of community pharmacy. Victory in the Supreme Court will set a precedent every state can use, so a win for Arkansas is a win for Texas pharmacy as well.
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