Commentary: Kansas pharmacies to temporarily close as pharmacists advocate for patient access
- Press release
- 17 hours ago
- 3 min read
AuBurn Pharmacy
Press release
TOPEKA — Pharmacy closures continue to rise across Kansas, and pharmacists say action is needed to protect patient access to care. On Wednesday, Feb. 4, many pharmacies across the state—including local AuBurn Pharmacy—will again close for a day as staff travel to the Statehouse for the Kansas Pharmacists Association’s (KPhA) Advocacy Day to urge lawmakers to advance Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) reform.
The one-day closures mirror similar action taken last year, when 92 pharmacies across Kansas temporarily closed and more than 400 pharmacy professionals gathered at the Statehouse to raise concerns about financial pressures and patient access. This year, pharmacists return as lawmakers consider legislation aimed at increasing transparency, strengthening regulatory oversight, and addressing reimbursement practices that advocates say are driving pharmacies out of business.
Pharmacists identify PBMs, middlemen operating between pharmacies, insurers, and drug manufacturers, as the main cause of the current crisis. PBMs dictate which pharmacies may join insurance networks and set the reimbursement rates for medications. According to advocates, these payments often fall below the actual cost of dispensing the prescriptions, forcing many locations to operate at a loss.
Industry data shows that three PBMs—Express Scripts, CVS Caremark, and OptumRx—control roughly 80% of prescriptions nationwide. Pharmacists say this consolidation has enabled "patient steering,"; a practice where PBMs use their market power to direct patients away from local community pharmacies toward mail-order, specialty, or retail pharmacies that the PBMs own themselves. This not only limits patient choice but also strips critical revenue from independent and rural locations that are already struggling under low reimbursement rates.
The pressure on Kansas pharmacies is reaching a critical level. In 2025 alone, 16 pharmacies closed statewide, contributing to 105 total losses over the last decade. With only 532 community pharmacies left, state data reveals that 68% of Kansas counties are now "pharmacy deserts."
These closures disproportionately impact the state’s most vulnerable residents, particularly the elderly and those living in poverty. In many rural areas, patients are now forced to drive 15 miles or more—often a 20-minute trip each way—to reach the nearest pharmacy. For a patient already struggling with a chronic illness or limited transportation, this distance can become an insurmountable barrier to obtaining life-saving medications, leading to missed doses and worsening health conditions.
AuBurn Pharmacy Chief Executive Officer Mike Burns said the goal of closing for the day is to focus on long-term solutions.
“Closing temporarily is about making sure pharmacies can stay open permanently,” Burns said. “Once a pharmacy closes for good, patients lose more than a building—they lose access to care.”
AuBurn Pharmacy is also urging community members to contact their local legislators and voice support for Senate Bill 360, a bipartisan measure introduced by Sen. Tim Schallenburger that would rein in harmful pharmacy benefit manager practices, improve transparency, and help protect patient access to local pharmacy care. AuBurn leaders say public engagement is critical to ensuring lawmakers understand how PBM policies directly impact patients, families, and communities across Kansas.
With the legislative session moving quickly, pharmacists say meeting directly with lawmakers and sharing their experiences, along with patient testimony, is essential to ensuring PBM policies are fully understood as the proposed legislation is considered.