By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
Although there’s still a long way to go, a local drug store owner said last week’s passage by the Alabama Legislature of The Community Pharmacy Relief Act provides a touch of good news for community pharmacies.
Danny Cottrell, owner of Atmore’s Buy-Rite Drugs, said the Act, which will go into effect October 1 after Gov. Kay Ivey signs it into law, aims to protect community pharmacies by ensuring fair compensation for the cost of filling prescriptions, isn’t a cure-all but is a step in the right direction.
“It’s a good first step for sure,” the pharmacy owner said. “I really appreciate what the Alabama Legislature has done. The big thing, long-term, is that it will really help with the community side of it.”
Community pharmacies, especially those in rural areas, are suffering due to the current reimbursement policies of Pharmacy Benefit Managers, companies that act as an intermediary between pharmacies, drug manufacturers, and insurance companies and also manage prescription drug benefits for health insurers, Medicare Part D plans, large employers and other payers.
State Rep. Daniel Ledbetter, who has served as Speaker of the House since 2023, said passage of the Act is a big win for the state’s small pharmacies.
“This legislation will undoubtedly help community pharmacies keep their doors open and continue serving patients, which is a big win for the state of Alabama,” Ledbetter said in a press release. “Members of the Legislature are sent to Montgomery to solve complex issues affecting their districts — and this one is as challenging as they come, impacting every corner of our state.”
Cottrell, who has had to close the drug stores he moved from Brewton to East Brewton and the one he opened at the Urgent Care in Atmore, said the state legislature’s action should make some difference in the near future, but the biggest change will have to come from the U.S. Congress, and that’s a slow process.
“The state act will go into effect October 1, and that’s relatively fast,” he pointed out. “But if we get something done federally, it will be January 2027 or January 2028 before it will happen, but maybe we’ll get something before that. The new state legislation is definitely a big step toward more fair reimbursements for community pharmacies. I’m extremely happy about it, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens at the federal level.”