DPC Writes to Minnesota Senators to Request "No" Vote on 340B Expansion

Today, the Domestic Policy Caucus wrote to members of the Minnesota Senate Health & Human Services Committee to request that they vote no on S.F. 5159, a bill that would expand the federal 340B mandate in the state.

In the letter, DPC wrote, “We are very much concerned that S.F. 5159 would hand over even more economic power to massive, national chain pharmacies that have driven so many local, mom-and-pop pharmacies out of business over the past several years… According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, over the last decade, Minnesota has lost more independent drug stores than any other state. S.F. 5159 would exacerbate the problem. In 2023 alone, 24 pharmacies closed in Minnesota, according to the Minnesota Pharmacists Association: 6 were part of national chains, 1 was in the Thrifty White regional chain, and 17 were independents. So, at the end of 2023, there were only 126 independent pharmacies left in the state.

Read the full letter here.