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Pharmacist group tells Health & Welfare pharmacists can ease care gaps; warns of closures tied to PBMs
Summary
A legislative liaison for the Vermont Pharmacists Association told the Health & Welfare meeting that pharmacists are trained to manage medications and chronic disease, and warned that pharmacy closures—driven in part by pharmacy benefit managers—threaten local access to care.
At a Health & Welfare meeting, Lauren Bodie, legislative liaison for the Vermont Partnerships Association, described how pharmacists’ clinical training and expanded roles can improve outcomes and reduce costs, and warned that the state is losing community pharmacies because of market pressures including practices by pharmacy benefit managers.
"I am a pharmacist who does not touch any medication," Bodie said, describing her clinical training and the role pharmacists play in selecting medications and managing chronic conditions. "When a pharmacist becomes more involved in a patient's care, ... treatment outcomes improve. Patients are happier with their care, and the care costs the system less," she said.
Bodie urged lawmakers to leverage pharmacists as part of the health-care team, especially given workforce and access problems. She said community pharmacies offer vaccines, blood-pressure checks, advice and rapid access at times when primary-care appointments can be hard to get. She also said Vermont is losing community pharmacies at an alarming rate and tied closures to multiple causes, particularly what she called "the predatory practice of pharmacy benefit managers."
Meeting participants offered local examples of closures and access gaps. One member said a Walgreens had closed in their area, leaving residents with fewer options for routine prescriptions and vaccines; Bodie and others said closures reduce convenience and continuity of care, especially in rural areas.
Bodie also called for policies to sustain community pharmacies and to allow pharmacists to practice to the full extent of their training. She asked committee members to view pharmacists as partners in primary care and public health and offered follow-up contact to help shape legislation and implementation.
Why it matters: Community pharmacists provide front-line clinical services that can affect chronic disease management and vaccination coverage. Losing community pharmacies can reduce access to medications and basic preventive services, particularly in rural areas.
Next steps: Bodie said the association wants to continue the conversation with committee members and staff and offered to provide data and examples to inform policy.
