Independent Pharmacy Takes the Senate Stage

This week, NCPA Associate Director of Congressional Affairs Kaite Krell is joined in the studio by NCPA member Micah Lansford to discuss the July 15 Senate Armed Services subcommittee hearing on the Tricare pharmacy program and how Express Scripts — the exclusive administrator of the program — appears to be pushing independent pharmacies out it and driving business to itself. Lansford is the owner of Roden-Smith Pharmacy in Clovis, N.M., and was the only independent pharmacist to testify. Krell and Lansford detail the behind-the-scenes of preparing to testify, including working closely with the office of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and share insights on how Tricare may evolve following a potential audit. Watch the hearing: https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings/to-receive-testimony-on-the-tricare-pharmacy-program Learn more about NCPA's Tricare advocacy priorities: https://www.ncpa.co/pdf/2026/advocacy/rx-access-one-pager.pdf