Over 1,000 pharmacies have closed since 2020, creating massive statewide deserts in PA
HARRISBURG, Pa. — As Pennsylvania’s pharmacy closure crisis worsens, Pennsylvanians for Protecting Pharmacy Access today called on state lawmakers to pass meaningful Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) reforms in 2026. The coalition, comprised of pharmacists, patient advocates, health care providers and community leaders, wants to stop the growing number of closures, which has surpassed 1,000 since 2020. The mass closure crisis has led to expanding pharmacy deserts in Pennsylvania. New interactive maps of the pharmacy deserts are now available on the coalition’s new website at protectpharmacyaccess.org.
A pharmacy desert includes any area in Pennsylvania where residents no longer have reasonable access to a local pharmacy. According to the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health, deserts exist in urban, suburban and rural areas, and they’re spreading. Another 213 pharmacies operate in areas that will be added to the deserts if they close.
The pharmacy deserts map allows users to search by closed pharmacies, state House and Senate districts, and county. You also can search by address or indicate your current location by allowing location services in your web browser.
“Community pharmacies are often the only health care provider for patients in their area, but the actions of PBMs are expanding this crisis with more pharmacy closures and the growth of deserts they create,” said Victoria Elliott, CEO of the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association. “These pharmacy closures increase travel distances for basic care and put the health and well-being of seniors, low-income families and those without reliable transportation at risk. Our new interactive map shows the stark pharmacy closure crisis we’re facing without PBM reform.”
The coalition is seeking several reforms to how PBMs operate in Pennsylvania, including:
- Raise the Medicaid Dispensing Fee: We must act immediately to ensure Pennsylvania’s Medicaid managed care dispensing fee meets Medicaid’s own fee-for-service dispensing fee of $10 established in 2017, or $10.49 for PACE providers. Bringing the dispensing fee up to the required level is essential for keeping community pharmacies solvent and ensuring that low-income Pennsylvanians maintain reliable access to their medications.
- Require Fair Reimbursement for All Pharmacies: Pharmacy Benefit Managers, or PBMs, must be required to reimburse every pharmacy (not just those they own) the full and actual cost of medications. Fair reimbursement is critical to stopping the closure of community pharmacies and preventing the spread of pharmacy deserts across Pennsylvania.
- Guarantee Payment for Pharmacist Clinical Services: Pennsylvania must guarantee payment for the full range of pharmacist-delivered clinical services, including medication therapy management, clinical evaluation, point-of-care testing, immunizations and other time-based services provided by trained pharmacists. These services improve health outcomes and the quality of life for Pennsylvanians by reducing hospitalizations and extending primary care access.
- Move to a Single PBM for Medicaid Managed Care: PBMs operate under their own rules. Pennsylvania should transition to a single PBM model for Medicaid managed care. We can protect patient access through a uniform, transparent system that increases oversight, reduces administrative burdens and eliminates conflicting reimbursement practices.
“We must end the pharmacy closure crisis and stabilize patient access to health care, in all communities,” Elliott said. “These common-sense reforms will ensure every Pennsylvanian gets the care they need close to home.”
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