Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders has signed a first-in-the-nation law that prohibits pharmacy benefit managers from operating both retail and mail-order pharmacies, a move designed to eliminate a conflict of interest that has been blamed for boosting the price of medicines and forcing independent pharmacies to close. At issue is an ongoing concern that the largest pharmacy benefit managers — which are controlled by CVS Health, Cigna, and UnitedHealth Group — favor their own pharmacy operations. Critics say that by doing so, these companies not only dominate the design of health plans for tens of millions of Americans, but also distort the distribution and pricing for prescription medicines.
Read the full article: Arkansas Adopts First-in-the-Nation Law Forcing Companies to Choose Between Running a PBM or Pharmacies //
Source: https://www.statnews.com/pharmalot/2025/04/16/pbm-cvs-unitedhealth-cigna-arkansas-conflict-medicines-pharma-pharmacy/