Arkansas Pharmacists Association

12/25/2025

From all of us at APA, we wish you and your family a safe and merry Christmas.

12/24/2025

Insurance Department Priorities Could Impact Pharmacy Operations

Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Jimmy Harris recently outlined his priorities for his first year in office, stating:

"My top priority as commissioner is protecting Arkansas consumers and ensuring a fair, stable insurance marketplace. We are exploring ways to deliver our services to consumers, insurance agents and companies more effectively and efficiently by modernizing our systems, breaking down internal silos, and leveraging additional technology in our licensing and complaint handling processes. We will also take steps to support property insurance markets by enhancing mitigation and resilience efforts through the implementation of the Strengthen Arkansas Homes Program. This is a program designed to make homes more resistant to wind and hail damage by helping homeowners retrofit or build homes to meet Fortified Home construction standards. Act 427 also ensures Arkansans receive a discount on their homeowner’s insurance policy if they build or retrofit their home to meet these standards. Finally, we will continue to focus on an evolving insurance market that is increasingly using artificial intelligence technology in underwriting and claims handling. Most insurance laws, written many decades ago, did not contemplate how AI fits into unfair claims practices, rating laws and claims handling. We will continue to encourage innovation, but we must ensure responsible data management practices, strengthen transparency and disclosure requirements, and safeguard against systems that may produce unfairly discriminatory outcomes."

Read more here:

From storm-related losses to rising premiums, Jimmy Harris explains the biggest challenges facing Arkansas’ insurance landscape and how the state plans to respond.

12/22/2025

🏛️ Policy in Action: Pharmacists Inform PBM Reform

Arkansas pharmacists are contributing to the federal policy discussion on PBM reform, sharing real-world examples of how opaque pricing practices and below-cost reimbursement undermine community pharmacy sustainability and limit patient access to care.

These firsthand experiences are helping lawmakers understand the need for policy solutions that promote transparency, fair reimbursement, and patient choice as PBM reform legislation continues to advance at both the state and federal levels.

Add your voice: https://www.votervoice.net/APCI/campaigns/131528/respond

12/20/2025

Act 624 News

Arkansas is in the midst of a legal showdown with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) over Act 624, a law that would ban PBMs from owning pharmacies in the state.

12/20/2025

Thank you for fighting for rural Arkansans' access to medication, Brandon Achor !

"Pharmacies shutter in rural Arkansas as PBM's complicate access to essential medications"

https://youtu.be/f76lnd3GDgM?si=t6h3dqFtYxUk-Ulo

KATV Channel 7

Pharmacies across Arkansas are closing, especially in rural communities, restricting individual's access to vital healthcare options.Get the full story and m...

12/19/2025

Rural America is losing its access to healthcare! 💔 Last week, Arkansas Pharmacist Kyle Lomax shares the devastating reality of closing his family pharmacy after more than 50 years, stating they "simply could not survive" under the controlled PBM system. Despite serving the community since 1974, and with over 40% of their prescriptions coming from Medicare beneficiaries, PBMs manipulating drug prices and reimbursing independents below cost made the business unsustainable.

The Pharmacists Fight Back Act is critical for survival. This essential legislation would deliver market-based pricing so pharmacies can be paid fairly, restore patient choice by ending PBM steering, ensure rebates reach patients, and provide the enforcement needed to stop PBMs from sidestepping the rules. Without meaningful PBM reform, rural communities keep losing access, pharmacies will keep closing, and patients will continue paying the price.

Watch Kyle Lomax’s powerful plea to Congress: Rural America is worth fighting for!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkmE-BW8PV4

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12/19/2025

Arkansas Pharmacists Inform Federal PBM Reform Efforts

Arkansas pharmacists Kyle and Kass Lomax recently shared their experience with federal lawmakers as part of a national discussion on pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform. Their story was highlighted in a commentary supporting bipartisan legislation aimed at increasing PBM transparency, preventing below-cost reimbursement, and protecting patient choice.

By describing the financial strain caused by PBM reimbursement practices that fall below drug acquisition costs, the Lomaxes provided lawmakers with concrete, real-world examples of why legislative action is needed. Their engagement helps strengthen the case for meaningful PBM reform at the federal level and reinforces the importance of pharmacist involvement in shaping policies that affect community pharmacy sustainability and patient access to care.


Use this link to contact your legislator: https://www.votervoice.net/APCI/campaigns/131528/respond


Read more about the Pharmacists Fight Back Act here: https://jakeauch.substack.com/p/pharmacists-fight-back

12/17/2025

📣 Why Pharmacist Advocacy Matters — And Why We Must Show Up and Speak Up 💊

Our profession is facing unprecedented challenges — and our voices are more powerful than ever. In this thought-provoking new blog from Pharmacists United for Truth & Transparency, your colleagues explain why advocacy isn’t just a buzzword — it’s essential to shaping healthcare policy and protecting patient access to care.

Whether it’s calling a legislator, sharing your story, or showing up in person, every pharmacist can make an impact. Together, we can ensure lawmakers hear the real, lived experiences of those on the frontlines of patient care. Let’s stand up, speak out, and advocate for the future of pharmacy in Arkansas and beyond. 💪📬

👉 Read the full article: https://www.truthrx.org/post/putt-blog-why-pharmacist-advocacy-matters-and-why-we-must-show-up-and-speak-up

Let’s cut straight to it: the most powerful voice in healthcare policy isn’t a lobbyist, a trade association, or a polished talking point crafted in a Washington office. It’s a constituent. A real human being who can look their lawmaker in the eye and say, “Here is what your decisions are do...

12/17/2025

🚀 Exciting News for APA Members! 🚀

We’re excited to share that the Arkansas Pharmacists Association will soon be launching a brand-new online Member Center—designed to make your experience with APA easier, more connected, and more powerful than ever.

✨ What’s coming your way?

All-in-one Member Center: Update your profile, register for events, pay invoices, and manage your membership—all in one place.

Stronger connections: Enhanced tools to connect with fellow members and increase visibility for your organization.

A smoother experience: Simplified engagement with APA and expanded opportunities across our platforms.

📧 No action needed right now.
In about one week, you’ll receive an email with instructions to create your login and access the new Member Center. Be sure to set it up to take full advantage of your member benefits.

⚠️ During the transition, there may be a brief interruption in website access, but our APA team is always just a call or email away if you need assistance.

Thank you for being a valued part of APA. We look forward to serving you even better with these new tools! 💙

12/15/2025

We celebrated the fifth anniversary of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court Case, Rutledge v. PCMA last week.

Don't miss this special edition of the Independent Rx Forum podcast, "Looking Back: Five Years Since Rutledge." Tune in to hear our very own APA CEO John Vinson alongside Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Hon. Nicholas Bronni, NCPA General Counsel Matt Seiler, and PBM litigation specialist Robert T. Smith.

They dive deep into how this landmark decision affected PBM regulation nationwide and what it means for future cases.

Listen now! https://ncpa.org/rxforumpodcast

12/12/2025

🎉 Have you registered yet?

Session 3 of our Popcorn Series — Hot Topics in Pharmacy Policy — is still happening as scheduled!

📅 December 16
🕡 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
⏱️ 1.5 hours of CE
💻 Virtual only

Don’t miss your chance to get the latest legislative and regulatory updates impacting pharmacists, technicians, and pharmacy staff. This fast-paced session will keep you informed on the issues shaping practice in Arkansas and beyond.

👉 Save your spot: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/XsVL89FJQQiUxJSm-ewj4w

12/11/2025

Looking back: 5 years after Rutledge v. PCMA:

Listen to Independent Rx Forum Podcast with RxConnexion and National Community Pharmacists Association, the leading advocate for America's pharmacists.