Article

2023-11-14 Economy

The Shocking Truth: Your Local Pharmacy Is Disappearing

[ZERO] Who doesn’t love the big 3 multibillion dollar Fortune 500 pharmacies: Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid? For years, they’ve brought us convenience as they invaded towns across the United States, pushing Main Street independent mom-and-pop pharmacies out of business.

Retail pharmacies across the United States are at a breaking point.

Profit targets, cost cutting, and inflation have led to the "big 3" shuttering over 1,500 pharmacies across the United States. (1) The past 2 years have been especially brutal. Supply chain shortages, theft, pharmacist strikes, and financial penalties for Big Pharma’s role in the opioid crisis continue to force the closure of at least one pharmacy in the United States per day.

Middle-Class Americans again left holding the bag.

A new reality is here to stay: over 40% of counties in the United States now live in a complete "pharmacy desert" - meaning that every resident needs to drive at least 15 minutes to get to the closest pharmacy. Moreover, over 80% of counties in the US now lack adequate healthcare infrastructure. (2) If you need medical help quickly, living in the United States could cost you dearly.

Posted by Besoeker 2023-11-14 04:58|| || Front Page|| [23 views ] Top

#1 Big Pharma taking out the middleman. Your prescription is on file at Amazon. Your meds will be delivered tomorrow morning.

Posted by Besoeker 2023-11-14 05:02|| 2023-11-14 05:02|| Front Page Top

#2
CVS closed several locations in our area due to high theft rates. Strangely many were located once upper end apartment complexes that became Section 8A housing.

Rite-Aid??? Haven't seen a open store around here in years.

BTW: CVS purchased our retiree insurer AETNA, back around late 2018. The Drug max out of pocket increased and co-pay prices also were bumped up.

Posted by NN2N1 2023-11-14 06:51|| 2023-11-14 06:51|| Front Page Top

#3 I get mine in a bag at the post office.

Posted by Skidmark 2023-11-14 10:17|| 2023-11-14 10:17|| Front Page Top

#4 The pharmacies are being hit by the same thing that got mom and pop food stores. Big guys who can wait you out.

Posted by ed in texas 2023-11-14 13:35|| 2023-11-14 13:35|| Front Page Top

#5 read that last paragraph - about 40% of the counties and drives of over 15 minutes.
If you check the population density west of the Mississippi that would be normal.

Posted by Procopius2k 2023-11-14 16:19|| 2023-11-14 16:19|| Front Page Top

#6 Your local GP (General Practitioner) doctor disappeared some time ago too. My childhood GP had an in-clinic pharmacist as well.

Posted by magpie 2023-11-14 17:07|| 2023-11-14 17:07|| Front Page Top

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