By Anne Harthman and Rep. Nancy Nathanson

Across Oregon, community pharmacies are closing at an alarming rate, threatening the health and wellbeing of thousands of residents. 

Since 2008, more than 200 pharmacies have shut their doors, leaving patients without timely access to the medications and clinical guidance they rely on. This is not just a rural problem or an urban one. It is a statewide crisis, and without meaningful reform, it will continue to grow.

We write this as a pharmacist serving Eugene and beyond and as a state legislator, also serving Eugene, who has long prioritized protecting Oregon’s pharmacies and the patients who rely on them. We are deeply concerned about where things are headed and are calling on legislative leadership to act now.

At Broadway Apothecary in Eugene, we see this crisis up close every day. Our pharmacy was recently designated as a “critical access pharmacy” for the vital services we provide to patients in outlying areas where pharmacy care is increasingly hard to find. 

Following the closure of many Bi-Mart pharmacies in the region, Broadway expanded services to fill the gap, especially in rural areas, including maintaining a 24/7 on-call pharmacist to answer clinical questions. 

Now another major pharmacy chain, Rite Aid, has filed for bankruptcy which means that the nearly 50 Rite Aid pharmacies across the state could close. This would cause further hardship for Oregonians and place even greater strain on struggling pharmacies. 

Pharmacists are proud of the care we provide, but we are doing so while under enormous pressure. The greatest strain comes from powerful corporate middlemen known as “pharmacy benefit managers”, or PBMs. These companies control which drugs are covered by insurance, how much pharmacies are reimbursed for dispensing them, and where patients are steered to fill their prescriptions.

PBMs reimburse local pharmacies like ours at rates that are often below the actual cost of the medication. That means every time we fill a prescription, we lose money. These companies also favor their own affiliated pharmacies, steering patients away from independent options and locking in profits for themselves. And they use legal loopholes and gag clauses to keep pharmacists from discussing lower-cost alternatives with patients and employers.

This imbalance has become unsustainable. If the Oregon Legislature does not act, more pharmacies will face the same fate as the hundreds that have already closed. 

And when that happens, it is not just businesses that suffer. Communities suffer. People miss doses, delay care and forgo medications entirely. Patients with chronic conditions lose a key part of their care team.

Pharmacies are more than places to pick up prescriptions. They are essential pillars of our healthcare system, especially for seniors, people with disabilities, and those managing chronic conditions. They are also local employers, often serving as key economic anchors in small towns and underserved neighborhoods. 

But all of that is at risk if the system continues to reward corporate PBMs at the expense of local pharmacies.

Rep. Nathanson has seen this pattern for years and has worked across the aisle to address it. She successfully passed PBM reform in the past, and this year she is once again leading the charge with House Bill 3212. This bipartisan legislation would establish basic, commonsense standards to rein in predatory PBM practices. It would prohibit abusive contract terms and unfair business practices, while increasing transparency so that pharmacies and patients are no longer kept in the dark.

This bill helps patients. Community pharmacies operating in Oregon have the unique ability to serve them in ways that large chain operations cannot. That might mean hand-delivering medications before a snowstorm or quickly replacing prescriptions after a devastating house fire. 

Each pharmacist in a small pharmacy has stories of going above and beyond to ensure patients get the care they need. We have seen firsthand that when patients can access their medications and build relationships with local pharmacists, their health improves. But as patient choice becomes more restricted, access suffers. We are already seeing patients struggle, and with even more pharmacy closures expected in Lane County, the situation is growing more urgent by the day.

Rep. Nathanson will tell you, significant bills with this level of bipartisan support are rare; the momentum is real; and the time to act is now. Legislative leadership must put its full weight behind HB 3212 to ensure it passes this session. If we delay, more community pharmacies will be forced to close, and the consequences will ripple through every corner of Oregon.

We urge the Legislature, and especially its leaders, to take this crisis seriously and move HB 3212 forward without delay. Pharmacies and the communities they serve cannot afford to wait any longer.

State Rep. Nancy Nathanson represents House District 13 and is a chief sponsor of HB 3212.

Anne Harthman is the pharmacist-in-charge and president of Broadway Apothecary in Eugene.