CVS responds to Gov. Sanders' New York Times Op-Ed about PBMs
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — CVS Health is ramping up its campaign against a new Arkansas law that targets pharmacy benefit managers, publicly clashing with Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders just hours after she defended the legislation in a guest essay for The New York Times.
Act 624, signed by Sanders in April, bars companies from running both a pharmacy and a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM), a model used by CVS. PBMs manage prescription drug benefits for insurers, negotiate prices with drug manufacturers and reimburse pharmacies.
In her guest essay on June 10, Sanders wrote that PBMs 'forcibly steer patients away from independent operators' and inflate drug prices. She also wrote that Act 624 lets PBMs keep operating in Arkansas, but, she said, 'they just can't continue to mistreat patients and box out other pharmacies.'
Sanders claimed the three largest pharmacy benefit managers handle 80% of U.S. prescriptions and earn 70% of specialty drug revenue through their affiliated pharmacies.
'Now, CVS is threatening to close down every pharmacy it operates in our state — preferring to take its ball and go home rather than divest from its pharmacy benefit management business and actually serve the patients it claims to care about,' Sanders wrote.
CVS sues Arkansas over new pharmacy law
CVS issued a statement later that day disputing Sanders' characterization of the law, claiming that the new law is about 'choosing winners and losers and rewarding special interests.'
'Out-of-state competitors are disadvantaged,' a CVS spokesperson said. 'In-state competitors, including Walmart, would handsomely benefit from the closures of pharmacies owned by us and others. The losers are the people of Arkansas who will pay more.'
CVS says the law could force it to close 23 pharmacies in Arkansas, affecting 340,000 patients, and block its specialty pharmacy from treating 10,000 high-risk patients with cancer, HIV and rare diseases.
The company is also challenging Act 624 in federal court, arguing it violates the U.S. Constitution.
'PBMs are the last line of defense between drugmakers that want to charge a lot of money, and the American businesses, unions, health plans, and government agencies that want to provide good benefits to people,' CVS said in its response on June 10.
CVS argues the law is unconstitutional because it unfairly targets out-of-state businesses, treats similar companies differently, and conflicts with federal laws like ERISA and Medicare rules. The company also raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest.
'One state representative who co-sponsored this law owns 13 pharmacies by himself,' the company said, linking to state Rep. Brandon Achor's campaign website.
Act 624, introduced as House Bill 1150, was backed by the Arkansas Pharmacists Association and Attorney General Tim Griffin, and passed easily.
Act 624 is scheduled to take effect January 1, 2026.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
15 minutes ago
- New York Post
Anti-Israel protester Mahmoud Khalil speaks out after release from Louisiana lockup
Anti-Israel protester Mahmoud Khalil lamented leaving behind some 'incredible men' on Friday as he left a Louisiana detention facility, which he hopes becomes a museum to what he described as 'America's racist policies.' 'I leave some incredible men behind me, over 1,000 people behind me, in a place where they shouldn't have been in the first place,' Khalil told reporters after walking out of the La Salle Detention Facility in Jena, La. 'I hope the next time that I will be in Jena is to actually visit this as a museum on America's racist policies against immigrants,' the former Columbia University student added. 3 Khalil said he'll join his wife and child in New York after being released from a federal detention center in Louisiana. AP After being picked up by federal immigration authorities on March 8, Khalil spent 104 days at the rural Louisiana detention center as the Trump administration fought to deport the Syrian-born permanent resident for allegedly engaging in activities 'aligned to Hamas,' a Palestinian terror group, while studying at Columbia. 'The Trump administration are doing their best to dehumanize everyone here,' Khalil charged outside the detention center, 'whether you are a US citizen, an immigrant, or just a person on this land doesn't mean that you are less of a human.' '[President Trump] and his administration, they chose the wrong person for this,' he said defiantly. 'That doesn't mean that there is a right person.' Khalil, wearing a keffiyeh, went on to slam his alma mater, accusing the Ivy League school of 'investing in the genocide of the Palestinian people.' 'There is no right person who should be detained, who are actually protesting a genocide, for protesting their university – Columbia University – that is investing in the genocide of the Palestinian people,' he said. Newark federal Judge Michael Farbiarz, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, ordered Khalil's release earlier Friday, finding that the Trump administration may be unfairly holding him in retaliation for his outspoken stance against Israel's war with Hamas. Farbiarz determined that Khalil is not a flight risk and 'not a danger to the community.' 3 Khalil said the Trump administration 'chose the wrong person for this.' AP 3 Khalil spent 104 days at the detention facility in Jena, La. DAN ANDERSON/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock The anti-Israel activist said the first thing he'll do when he returns home to New York is 'just hug my wife and son.' Khalil's wife, an American citizen, gave birth to their son in April while her husband was being held in the Louisiana facility. 'The only time I spent with my son was a specified one-hour limit that the government had imposed on us … so that means that now I can actually hug him and Noor, my wife, without looking at the clock,' Khalil said. 'The moment you enter this facility, your rights leave you, leave you behind,' he continued. 'So, once you enter there, you see a different reality – just a different reality about this country that supposedly champions human rights and liberty and justice.' 'But once you cross, literally, that door, you see that opposite side of what's actually happening in this country.' Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin slammed Farbiarz ruling and told The Post she expects a higher court to order Khalil's return to federal custody. 'An immigration judge, not a district judge, has the authority to decide if Mr. Khalil should be released or detained,' McLaughlin said in a statement. 'On the same day an immigration judge denied Khalil bond and ordered him removed, one rogue district judge ordered him released.' 'This is yet another example of how out of control members of the judicial branch are undermining national security. Their conduct not only denies the result of the 2024 election, it also does great harm to our constitutional system by undermining public confidence in the courts.' McLaughlin argued that 'it is a privilege to be granted a visa or green card to live and study in the United States of America' and that the Trump administration 'acted well within its statutory and constitutional authority to detain Khalil, as it does with any alien who advocates for violence, glorifies and supports terrorists, harasses Jews, and damages property.' 'An immigration judge has already vindicated this position. We expect a higher court to do the same.'
Hamilton Spectator
41 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
US evacuates 79 staff and family from embassy in Israel as more Americans ask how to leave
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. evacuated 79 staff and families from the U.S. Embassy in Israel on Friday as the conflict between Israel and Iran intensifies and growing numbers of private American citizens seek information on how to leave Israel and Iran. An internal State Department memo says the military flight, the second known to have occurred this week, left Tel Aviv for Sofia, Bulgaria, where some or all of the passengers were to get a connecting charter flight to Washington. The document, which was obtained by The Associated Press, also said that more than 6,400 U.S. citizens in Israel had filled out an online form on Friday alone asking for information about when and if the U.S. government would organize evacuation flights. An additional 3,265 people, some of whom may also have competed the form, called an emergency number seeking assistance. The document estimated that between 300 and 500 people per day could need evacuation assistance should the U.S. decide to offer flights or ships to get Americans out, as the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, has said is being considered. There are some 700,000 Americans in Israel, many of them dual nationals, according to estimates, although the exact number at any given time is unclear because U.S. citizens are not required to notify the embassy if they are there or when they might leave. Earlier Friday, before the memo was distributed, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters that more than 25,000 Americans had reached out for information on leaving Israel, the West Bank and Iran. She told reporters that those people had sought 'information and support' and were 'seeking guidance' on departing. She would not give a breakdown of where the queries had come from and would not comment on embassy evacuations. In Iran, the document said that at least 84 U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, or Green Card holders, had crossed into neighboring Azerbaijan by land since the conflict began and that an additional 774 had been granted permission to enter as of Friday. Nearly 200 American citizens and Green Card holders are awaiting permission to travel overland from Iran to neighboring Turkmenistan, it said. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
Where US troops in Mideast are most at risk of Iran strike
The Big Story Tens of thousands of U.S. troops are within Iran's striking distance should President Trump decide to wade into Israel's conflict with Tehran and directly attack the country. © Alex Brandon, Associated Press More than 40,000 American service members and civilians — as well as billions of dollars in military equipment — are in the Middle East, spread out across bases in Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Those working in countries closest to Iran, including Iraq and Kuwait, would conceivably have only minutes to prepare for an incoming Iranian strike, a likely outcome should Trump order the U.S. military to join Israel's bombing campaign, experts say. 'If [Iran] had the ballistic missiles ready to go, those strikes could happen in under 15 minutes. Launched to target,' retired Col. Seth Krummrich, vice president at security consultancy firm Global Guardian, told The Hill. 'They move very quickly.' Israel last week unleashed a barrage of airstrikes on Iran that set off the largest conflict ever between the two regional adversaries, with Tehran responding with its own attacks. The war has threatened to pull in the U.S., which says it supports Israel's right to defend itself but has not directly involved itself in the bombing. Trump has not yet decided on possible American military action against Iran, telling reporters through his top spokesperson that he would make his decision within two weeks. But Iran has already threatened to directly attack U.S. forces should they enter Israel's war campaign, with the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warning Wednesday that 'Americans should know that any U.S. military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage.' Tehran's threats aren't idle, as the country has retaliated against Washington in the past, most notably in January 2020, when Trump in his first term ordered an airstrike that killed Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force. The strike, which happened as Soleimani traveled to Baghdad, prompted a swift response from Iran, which days later hammered Al-Asad Air Base in Iraq and another U.S. base in Erbil with 13 ballistic missiles. While no Americans were killed in the largest ballistic missile attack ever against U.S. forces abroad, more than 100 were later diagnosed and treated for traumatic brain injuries. Now, with Trump reportedly considering using the GBU-57 — known as the Massive Ordnance Penetrator or so-called bunker buster bomb — to damage Iran's Fordow nuclear enrichment facility, a similar attack from Tehran could soon be at hand. Read the full report at Welcome to The Hill's Defense & National Security newsletter, I'm Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads How policy will affect defense and national security now and inthe future: Trump: 'Hard' for Israel to stop strikes now President Trump said Friday it would be difficult for Israel to stop strikes on Iran at this point, a week into the intense conflict between the two nations and two weeks out from the president's decision on U.S. involvement. 'I think it's very hard to make that request right now,' he said when pressed about the Iranian foreign minister saying that the U.S. would call on Israel to stop airstrikes if Trump is serious about … Democrat: Trump 2-week Iran deadline 'not a bad thing' Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) tepidly praised President Trump on his handling of the ongoing military conflict between Israel and Iran, after the president said he would wait two weeks to decide whether to take direct action against Iran. 'The fact that we're not reading about a U.S. attack on Iran right now actually gives me a little bit of comfort,' the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee told independent … Israel, Iran trade strikes as Trump weighs US military involvement Israel and Iran traded strikes on Friday as President Trump weighs the possibility of U.S. involvement and European officials seek to revive nuclear negotiations with Tehran. Israel said it hit 60 Iranian aircrafts early Friday morning along with the headquarters of the Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research, which carries out nuclear weapons research, according to the Associated Press. Iranian media said Israel's … On Our Radar Upcoming things we're watching on our beat: In Other News Branch out with a different read from The Hill: DHS places new limits on lawmakers visiting ICE facilities The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is placing new limitations on lawmakers seeking to visit detention facilities, releasing guidelines in the wake of visits from Democrats that have turned confrontational. Members of Congress have the legal right to make unannounced visits to U.S. Immigration … On Tap Monday Events in and around the defense world: What We're Reading News we've flagged from other outlets: Trending Today Two key stories on The Hill right now: Senate parliamentarian knocks pieces out of Trump's megabill Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough has ruled that several key pieces of the massive bill to implement President Trump's agenda run afoul of … Read more Supreme Court rules against FDA, EPA 12:30 Report is The Hill's midday newsletter. Subscribe here or using the box below: Close Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters … Read more Opinions in The Hill Op-eds related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill: You're all caught up. See you next week! Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here
