LOUISIANA (KLFY) -- This week, CVS customers across Louisiana were met with an alarming text message:

“Last-minute legislation in Louisiana threatens to close your CVS Pharmacy—your medication cost may go up and your pharmacist may lose their job. Contact your elected officials to protect your access.”

The text, which quickly triggered confusion and concern, refers to House Bill 358—a late-session proposal that would ban pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) like CVS Caremark from owning or controlling pharmacies in the state.

Critics of the message say it’s more than a warning; it’s a political campaign that may have crossed a legal line.

“People give their information to health care providers to provide patient information for the betterment of their health,” said former state senator and pharmacist Fred Mills. “I don't know if they give this information for political purposes.”

PBMs act as a middleman between insurance companies, drug manufacturers and pharmacies. Supporters of the bill argue that this dual role (particularly when companies like CVS own both the PBM and the pharmacy) creates a conflict of interest and limits consumer choice.

“If you work for a company that decides you’ll pay $5 or $10 for your prescriptions, the PBM implements that plan,” Mills said. “So, they’re kind of like a Visa Card for prescriptions.”

But Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill says CVS went too far by using private customer data for lobbying.

“They were sending out information using people's personal cell phone numbers to lobby against legislation that they didn't like,” Murrill said. “That is not the purpose for which they obtained our personal information.”

In response, Murrill says her office has issued a cease-and-desist letter and opened an investigation into whether CVS violated the state’s Unfair Trade Practices Act.

“CVS has cornered the market and used that market to run a lot of independent pharmacists out of business,” she said. “It’s also running up our costs of medication.”

In a public statement, CVS claimed the legislation would force the company to close 119 pharmacies in Louisiana, impacting one million patients and nearly 2,700 employees. But Murrill and other state officials argue the company’s messaging is misleading.    

“The loss of independent pharmacies has been much more damaging to us than losing a large chain pharmacy like CVS,” Murrill said. “It is so damaging to our rural communities. And they have been decidedly persistent in putting them out of business.”

The bill did not pass despite pressure from Governor Landry. If Governor Landry does call a special session, it would most likely happen in August.

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