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HARRISBURG — Pharmacies are disappearing across Pennsylvania, leaving some patients with fewer options and longer journeys to access the medications they need.
A July report from Spotlight PA examined the impact of hundreds of pharmacy closures, explored the debate over who’s to blame, and looked at action taken by state lawmakers. About 30 readers responded, sharing their experiences with the issue. Some described increased travel, longer wait times, and other problems from having to switch pharmacies.
The three maps below show how widespread the problem is in the state and illustrate the areas that have been hardest hit. An additional chart highlights the large role that Rite Aid plays in the state.
Earlier this year, the company announced plans to sell off “substantially all of its assets” as part of bankruptcy proceedings and it has continued to close stores. As of early July, even after closing hundreds of Pennsylvania stores in recent years, Rite Aid was still among the top pharmacy chains in the state based on licensing data.
Here are three things you need to know:
It’s a statewide problem.
More than 800 licensed pharmacies have closed since January 2020. While some new ones opened during that time period, it wasn’t enough to make up the difference and the state still lost hundreds of pharmacies overall.
Some state lawmakers have cited the closures as they push for legislation that would affect reimbursements pharmacies receive for their work.
Some areas have been hit particularly hard.
John DeJames, president of the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association, previously told Spotlight PA the biggest impact usually occurs in rural locations and underserved areas.
“So the people that need the help the most are the ones … getting hit the most,” he said.
A June analysis from the Center for Rural Pennsylvania found that nine rural Pennsylvania counties would see the biggest percent change in total pharmacies if all Rite Aid locations were to close without a replacement. The “closures may further widen health disparities and reduce access to essential care for many communities,” the legislative agency’s report said.
The closures are also a concern in urban areas. The director of York city’s Bureau of Health previously told Spotlight PA that the closure of the downtown Rite Aid “is a huge loss.”
Rite Aid had a big reach in Pennsylvania.
A Spotlight PA analysis of pharmacy data shows that Rite Aid was one of the leading chains in the state, highlighting just how big of an impact the recent closures have had on Pennsylvania.
Spotlight PA reached out to each of the businesses listed in the chart above to share the newsroom’s findings and what its numbers were based upon. Responses varied.
A spokesperson for Weis Markets confirmed that Spotlight PA’s information matched the company’s own list.
A spokesperson for Giant Eagle in August said it has increased its number of Pennsylvania pharmacies since July.
A Walmart spokesperson in August said it has 134 pharmacies in Pennsylvania — one higher than Spotlight PA identified by searching for the names “Walmart” or “Wal-Mart” in July’s state licensing data.
Asked about the difference, a Pennsylvania Department of State spokesperson said the additional Walmart pharmacy was in an “active-address pending approval” status due to a location change. (Spotlight PA’s chart above also does not include stores under the name Sam’s Club, which is a membership club and division of Walmart.)
A GIANT Company spokesperson said the business operates under multiple names, including seven Martin’s pharmacies in Pennsylvania. Those ones bring the company’s total pharmacies in the state to 115, according to the company spokesperson and state licensing data.
A CVS spokesperson said it considers itself to have 455 traditional pharmacy locations in the state. One of the locations that Spotlight PA identified for CVS was a mail-order pharmacy, while two others were part of CVS’ specialty business, the spokesperson said.
The Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association’s CEO, Victoria Elliott, called the Rite Aid bankruptcy announcement in May “another difficult chapter” that “brings not only professional uncertainty but also a profound personal impact.”
The organization has offered resources for professionals who are affected and for patients who run into problems transferring prescriptions. “Let’s work together to protect the pharmacy profession and ensure patients across PA continue to receive the care they deserve,” the association said in a June post.
In August, citing questions related to the Rite Aid closures, Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Michael Humphreys urged health insurers and pharmacy benefit managers to take action to ensure patients have convenient access to retail pharmacies.
Those businesses should have dedicated methods, such as hotline or web portals, to help patients with prescription transfers, Humphreys said in a notice. He said the department expects insurers to provide notification if they can’t meet the state’s “time or distance standards related to pharmacy access for patients affected by a Rite Aid closure.”
The department’s notice was specific to commercial insurance under the department’s jurisdiction. But insurers and pharmacy benefit managers “are strongly encouraged” to be flexible ”to ensure adequate and accessible retail pharmacy access for all those for whom they provide or oversee prescription drug coverage,” Humphreys said.
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