Special to The Newport Daily News

In 2018, my wife and I poured our life savings into opening Matt’s Local Pharmacy in Middletown. I’d previously worked as a pharmacist for a major chain drug store and also worked in a hospital pharmacy but I wanted to own my own pharmacy so I could provide more personalized service to my patients. I’ve been able to do just that over the past eight-plus years, but I’ve also faced a serious challenge that threatens the very existence of my pharmacy.

Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs), who act as middlemen between health plans, pharmaceutical manufacturers and pharmacies, have routinely forced me and other independent pharmacy owners in Rhode Island to accept reimbursement rates below cost for certain prescriptions, a practice that has driven more than a d

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