Don’t Let Government-Forced Pharmacy Closures Restrict Hoosier Patient Access

REJECT Senate Bill 173

Senate Bill 173 will result in government-forced closures of pharmacies and devastate prescription drug access for millions of Indiana patients who rely on medications the most. This legislation would prohibit pharmacy ownership by pharmacy benefit managers, eliminating choices that have kept medication costs low and provided reliable access for Hoosiers of all backgrounds.

Senate Bill 173 would also prevent employers from choosing the health plans that work best for their workforce. Instead of letting employers and workers decide, this bill puts government in control—a decision that will harm patients managing chronic conditions or facing life-threatening illnesses who are most vulnerable to pharmacy closures.


Government-mandated forced pharmacy closures make care harder to find when patients need it most. Lawmakers haven’t been transparent about the real consequences. While claiming to help patients, evidence shows this legislation will create the opposite effect. Here’s what Senate Bill 173 would actually do:

What Senate Bill 173 Would Do:

Put 4.7 Million Hoosiers At Risk1 of losing prescription drug benefits and access.

Raise Out-of-Pocket Costs for Patients by reducing pharmacy competition and removing cost-saving tools employers currently use to negotiate better prescription drug costs.

Cut Off Prescription Access for Rural and Senior Patients by restricting mail-order and specialty pharmacy services that provide affordable, convenient medication delivery to those who need it most.

Threaten Military Service Members, Veterans and their Families by restricting pharmacy options for high-risk populations who depend on coordinated, integrated pharmacy services.

Reduce Specialty Pharmacy Options that serve Hoosiers with complex medical conditions such as cancer, disrupting essential medication access.

Force Patient Medication Non-Compliance – Research shows 1 in 6 patients will stop taking prescribed medications when pharmacy options disappear, worsening health outcomes.2

[1] Data is from four large PBMs in Indiana.

[2] Source: JAMA, Pharmacy Closures and Anticonvulsant Medication Prescription Fills, 2024 

Indiana patients and employers shouldn’t be forced out of competitive health plan options. The PBM market is competitive and dynamic, with more than 70 full-service PBMs operating today. The solution to health care affordability isn’t government mandates—it’s preserving choice and competition that drive down costs for working families.

Indiana families are already stretched thin. Hoosiers cannot afford legislation that limits their pharmacy options, eliminates cost-saving tools, and raises prescription drug costs.

Tell Your Elected Officials in Indianapolis:

REJECT Government-Mandated Forced Pharmacy Closures and Vote NO on Senate Bill 173

505 9th Street NW, 10th Floor, Washington, DC 20004
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