Coffee and Conversation wraps up for year

Mar. 25—OSKALOOSA — Area education agencies, prescription drug costs, foreign ownership of American land and immigration were all discussed during the final Coffee and Conversation meeting on Saturday.

The panel consisting of State senators Ken Rozenboom and Adrian Dickey, and State representatives Helena Hayes and Barb Kniff McCulla, held their last meeting at Smokey Row in downtown Oskaloosa to talk about the issues most concerning to the people of southeast Iowa.

One of the main topics discussed is the ongoing AEA reform attempts going on in Des Moines. On Friday, latest version of the reform bill passed the Iowa House of Representatives. The new amendment to the bill requires schools to use 90% of special education services funding on AEAs. Speaking on the bill, McCulla said she voted "yes" on the bill, with one of her primary aims being to help schools in rural parts of the state.

"We always spoke for that to make sure rural Iowa wasn't locked out," she said. "We know that the access for those that are in the urban areas, it's much easier for them to get access and try to find individuals, that they didn't use the AEA, so we fought hard for rural Iowa."

"I've been trying to keep very, very close to my superintendents, have spent hours this week talking to them — Pekin, North Mahaska, Sigourney, Eddyville — and I've used them as sort of the bird, the canary in the cage," Hayes said about the bill. "Because they're the middle man between the AEA and the school district, and they're able to discern, 'Are these changes beneficial, or are they actually going to hurt?'"

Prescription benefit managers (PBMs) were also a hot topic at the meeting, with the issue of their role in raising prices for mediating services between drug companies and customers being addressed.

"The issue... is that look at Walgreens — their own PBM. Or look at CVS and their PBMs," Dickey said. "They're buying from themselves, they're making profits on each end and in the process, trying to squeeze out independent retailers. I'm oversimplifying it, but that's what's happening."

John Nicholson, the co-owner of Mahaska Drug, has been heavily involved in raising awareness of the issue. In a February townhall with U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) in Pella, he stated that the average profit per prescription at his store is a -$2.73. Meanwhile, he says the Iowa Medicaid program has determined that it costs around $11 for pharmacies to dispense a prescription.

Rozenboom commended the work Nicholson has done in raising awareness at the meeting, having brought it up again at Coffee and Conversation. However, he also stated that issue is more of a federal issue than a state one.

"The Supreme Court said states are allowed to regulate the PBMs, but then the PBMs take us to court — it's tough," Rozenboom said. "I appreciate what you and Jane [Nicholson] have done at Mahaska Drug to serve the community in so many ways and we'll keep fighting for you, but we need to fix it in Washington."

Donald Promnitz is the associate editor of the Ottumwa Courier and the Oskaloosa Herald. He can be reached at dpromnitz@ottumwacourier.com. Follow him on Twitter @DonPromnitz.