Pharmacists, chains and PBMs: Arkansas groups urge stronger enforcement to stem workforce losses
February 21, 2023 | PUBLIC HEALTH, WELFARE AND LABOR COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
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John Vincent, CEO of the Arkansas Pharmacist Association, told the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee that Arkansas faces growing shortages among pharmacists and pharmacy technicians and that changes in pharmacy business models and PBM contracting are worsening access.
"My name is John Vincent, CEO of the Arkansas Pharmacist Association," Vincent said, introducing the association’s roughly 2,300 members. He described a rising demand for pharmacist positions, noting a roughly 9.5% increase in job postings in the South and saying "about 10% of the licensed pharmacist positions" were posted in Arkansas.
Vincent summarized national workforce research showing burnout, insufficient time for safe patient care and workplace mistreatment. He also highlighted local business effects: reduced store hours and unexpected closures at national chains—citing Walgreens in particular—and a trend toward out-of-state mail-order permits that shift work and revenue away from Arkansas.
On policy, Vincent said Arkansas’ prior PBM reforms were significant but imperfect and that Senate Bill 94 "isn't new regulation, it's just better enforcement of existing regulations." He told legislators that pharmacists filed roughly 90,000 claims last year with the insurance commissioner and that about 12,000 of those were validated as enforceable in Arkansas while another roughly 30,000 were lost to technicalities, a pattern he said SB 94 aims to address.
Vincent also warned of patient-access consequences tied to federal programs outside state control. He said TRICARE’s new narrow-network contracting left roughly 60% of Arkansas pharmacies out of network in 2023, which can force veterans to use mail-order pharmacies out of state or travel long distances for in-network care.
Committee members asked about education pipeline and recruiting. Vincent said pharmacy-school applicant pools have declined from levels seen a decade ago and that student debt and stagnant dispensing reimbursements have reduced incentives. He used a widely circulated workplace slogan to make the point: "Hashtag pizza is not working," he said, referencing a social-media protest by pharmacists who quit amid unsafe working conditions.
The Pharmacist Association offered to provide slides and follow-up materials; legislators pressed for more data on claims and payment delays during the Q&A. No formal votes were taken on policy during the hearing.
"My name is John Vincent, CEO of the Arkansas Pharmacist Association," Vincent said, introducing the association’s roughly 2,300 members. He described a rising demand for pharmacist positions, noting a roughly 9.5% increase in job postings in the South and saying "about 10% of the licensed pharmacist positions" were posted in Arkansas.
Vincent summarized national workforce research showing burnout, insufficient time for safe patient care and workplace mistreatment. He also highlighted local business effects: reduced store hours and unexpected closures at national chains—citing Walgreens in particular—and a trend toward out-of-state mail-order permits that shift work and revenue away from Arkansas.
On policy, Vincent said Arkansas’ prior PBM reforms were significant but imperfect and that Senate Bill 94 "isn't new regulation, it's just better enforcement of existing regulations." He told legislators that pharmacists filed roughly 90,000 claims last year with the insurance commissioner and that about 12,000 of those were validated as enforceable in Arkansas while another roughly 30,000 were lost to technicalities, a pattern he said SB 94 aims to address.
Vincent also warned of patient-access consequences tied to federal programs outside state control. He said TRICARE’s new narrow-network contracting left roughly 60% of Arkansas pharmacies out of network in 2023, which can force veterans to use mail-order pharmacies out of state or travel long distances for in-network care.
Committee members asked about education pipeline and recruiting. Vincent said pharmacy-school applicant pools have declined from levels seen a decade ago and that student debt and stagnant dispensing reimbursements have reduced incentives. He used a widely circulated workplace slogan to make the point: "Hashtag pizza is not working," he said, referencing a social-media protest by pharmacists who quit amid unsafe working conditions.
The Pharmacist Association offered to provide slides and follow-up materials; legislators pressed for more data on claims and payment delays during the Q&A. No formal votes were taken on policy during the hearing.
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