How does it feel to speak in the first state in the nation, Arkansas, to stand for legislation that would ensure insurance companies’ Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs)—like Optum RX, CVS Caremark, and Express Scripts—cannot own pharmacies that they steer to in the state?

Standing here today, my heart feels heavy with sorrow, determination, and hope. I’m not just standing in front of you for the sake of legislation—I’m standing here for my child, for all the children, for all the families who have been harmed in many ways by this broken system. I never imagined I’d be in this position, but what happened to my child is something I can’t forget, and I can’t let it go. I uncovered so many others suffering after starting this petition. The life-threatening harm from monopolization of the insurance and pharmacy industry is real. 

After all that I uncovered I feel a deep sense of responsibility for not just my child but every American that's being price gouged or harmed.

My son is a transplant patient. His medications are life-or-death—every single pill matters, every dose is crucial to keeping him healthy and alive. And yet, when his transplant medications were sent to us from a PBM-run mail order pharmacy that he was forced to. Stored improperly, they arrived at our doorstep in conditions that put my son’s life in jeopardy. 

To have your child’s life hanging in the balance and to be met with silence is something I would never wish on any parent. It was more than just an inconvenience. It was a breach of trust that no one should ever experience. The fact that this is happening because of wealthy PBMs that prioritize profits over people—makes it even worse. Markup's on the type of medications that my son takes were found of over 600% as these PBMs forced to their own mail order pharmacies as reported this month by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The truth is that the ability for these companies to price gouge is why we are forced to mail order in the first place.

That's not all. The PBM-driven system is slowly killing local pharmacies, the ones who know their patients, the ones who know the stakes. Pharmacies are closing and communities are being left with fewer places to turn for the health care and medications that they need.  The same PBMs oversee competitor's reimbursements and are causing America to lose our pharmacies. The personal touch of a trusted pharmacist is disappearing, replaced by a cold system that doesn’t see us as individuals, but as transactions.

That’s why I’m here today. I’m fighting for my son, for every child like him who deserves to be safe, and for every person who’s been harmed by a system that has lost its way. This isn’t just about making changes to laws—it’s about making sure families can trust the medications they receive, can trust the people who care for them, and can trust that their local pharmacies won’t be driven out of business by powerful corporations.

Thank you Arkansas. We hope you win for the sake of all Americans. 

Loretta Boesing, Patient Advocate 

Make a Donation to Support Our Advocacy 

If you're in Arkansas, you can sign the petition here to support legislation to stop PBMs from owning their own pharmacies that they often steer to. 

Listen to my full comments here.  

Contact me: Loretta@uniteforsafemeds.org