Turnage Drug Store survived both world wars, the Great Depression, the rise of chain pharmacies and the decline in popularity of the soda fountain.
But the 119-year-old Water Valley pharmacy may now be facing its greatest threat yet: untenable reimbursement rates and non-negotiable contracts from pharmacy benefit managers, said co-owner Robert Turnage.
Turnage is one of many independent pharmacy owners in Mississippi who fear that if more stringent regulations are not imposed on pharmacy benefit managers, their businesses – some of the most accessible health care providers, particularly in rural parts of the state – may be forced to close.
“Everyone here is on the verge of closing their doors if something drastic is not done,” Bob Lomenick, the owner and pharmacist at Tyson Drugs, Inc. in Holly Springs, told lawmakers at the House Select Committee on Prescription Drugs meeting Aug. 21 at the Capitol. The meeting room was filled with independent pharmacists who came from around the state to plead their case with legislators.