02/25/2026
Be very wary of correspondence that you may be getting from your prescription insurance company, which is OWNED by a PBM, warning you if Oklahoma HB 3538 passes that your Pharmacy could possibly be affected and be forced to close.
Well that bill was written by a pharmacy friend of ours, Rep TJ Marti. He is a pharmacist AND a State Representative and he’s fighting for independent pharmacies.  PBMs use platforms that share these messages. The recipient just types in their address and it sends it to their legislators.
This bill doesn’t allow a PBM to own a pharmacy license. So CVS and ESI would have to choose if they want to be a pharmacy in Oklahoma or if they want be a PBM. They own the insurance company, the company processing the prescriptions, and the mail order pharmacy they are trying to get you to use. They own the big chain pharmacies too. They regulate the pricing that all pharmacies have to accept. Many times, that’s at a loss for us. That’s why some pharmacies do not accept some plans because the reimbursement is so terrible. But, they often times reimburse THEIR pharmacy at much higher rates. It’s a MONOPOLY. And it should be ILLEGAL.
If HB3538 passes, they will have to make a choice in Oklahoma: PBM or PHARMACY? Which do you want to be?
They’re emailing and calling and mailing letters to you asking you to click here and send your congressman a message to vote NO. They’re lying to you. This HELPS independent pharmacies and if you do anything, you should contact your congressman and tell them to vote YES on HB 3538.
I want to set the record straight. No, that’s not going to drive us out of business. It’s going to PROTECT independent pharmacies all over the state. And believe me, they’re struggling.
I spent all afternoon filing complaints online with the Oklahoma Attny General AGAINST PBMs for prescription claims we lost money on, appealed, and the PBM was in violation of Oklahoma law.
So don’t do any favors for the PBMs. If you do your homework first, you’ll find they’re lying to you and the fact that they’re so worried about this proposed bill should tell you all you need to know.
