To the editor:

The local pharmacy isn’t just a place to pick up prescriptions–we are a lifeline. I’ve spent years helping patients manage their medications, answering late-night phone calls, and ensuring my community gets the care they need. But independent pharmacies like mine are disappearing, and with them, vital healthcare services.

Too many in Minnesota lack easy, safe access to medications. This problem is statewide: 44% of pharmacies in Minnesota have closed in the last ten years, with 58% of those being independent pharmacies. The driving force? Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) are critically underpaying local pharmacies, often reimbursing us less than the cost of the medications we dispense. No business can survive under those conditions, and many of us are being forced to close our doors despite wanting to continue to care for people.

Our elected officials in the Minnesota House and Senate need to act immediately. We need to level the playing field. By ensuring fair payments and putting an end to PBM practices that push patients away from local pharmacies, we can keep the essential services we provide available. Without action, more pharmacies will close, and more patients will be left without care. This isn’t just a business issue — it’s a public health crisis.

Andrew Russell

Elko New Market

— Andrew Russell is a pharmacist and owner of Elko New Market Family Pharmacy