Ayanna Khan-Flowers is the founder and president/CEO of the Delaware Black Chamber of Commerce.
In Delaware, small businesses are the heart of our communities. No group represents this better than our local, independent pharmacies. They’re often the first call for parents with sick children, older adults managing chronic conditions or small-business owners balancing their health and their livelihoods. Yet too many of these pharmacies are struggling to keep their doors open, not because of a lack of patients or demand but because of the outsized influence and opaque practices of middlemen known as “pharmacy benefit managers.”
That’s why the Delaware Black Chamber of Commerce is grateful for the commitment of Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., to pass meaningful PBM reform. Her leadership, alongside a bipartisan coalition in Congress, is crucial in restoring fairness, transparency and accountability in our health care system.
Recently, the Delaware Black Chamber of Commerce had the honor of hosting Sen. Blunt Rochester, as well as We Work for Health Delaware and several local health care advocates, who recognized her as the PBM Advocate of the Year. The event celebrated her tireless work to advance PBM reform in the Senate and ensure that patients, pharmacists and small businesses have fair voices in the health care system. The group gathered for a constructive dialogue on the challenges Delawareans face and how the senator can best represent her constituents in Washington. It was a powerful reminder that Delaware’s leaders are stepping up to get results on an issue that affects every community.
Pharmacy benefit managers were originally created to negotiate lower drug prices for patients and employers. Over time, they’ve become some of the most powerful players in the prescription drug supply chain. They decide which medicines are covered, how much patients pay out of pocket and how much pharmacies are reimbursed. Unfortunately, these decisions often prioritize PBM profit margins over patients.
This isn’t a partisan issue; it’s a fairness issue. Across the country, Democrats and Republicans alike agree that patients deserve to know where their health care dollars are going and that small businesses shouldn’t be punished for serving their communities.
Sen. Blunt Rochester’s work reflects that bipartisan urgency. Her support for reforms that increase transparency, ensure fair reimbursement and strengthen competition is exactly the kind of practical leadership Delawareans expect.
Reform is especially urgent for the patients and neighborhoods that can least afford another barrier to care. For many Black and Brown communities, local pharmacies aren’t just places to pick up prescriptions; they’re trusted health partners that close longstanding gaps in access and outcomes. When a pharmacy closes, the loss ripples far beyond health care, affecting jobs, small-business vitality and community stability.
The good news is that momentum is building. Legislation in the House of Representatives — like the bipartisan PBM Reform Act of 2025, led by Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., and supported by members across the aisle, including Rep. Sarah McBride, D-Del. — represents real progress. These reforms would shine a light on how PBMs operate, require them to pass negotiated savings directly to patients and protect independent pharmacies from unfair reimbursement practices. They would ensure that, when Delawareans pay for prescriptions, more of their money goes where it should: to their care.
But, as every small-business owner knows, good ideas don’t mean much without followthrough. Washington has debated PBM reform long enough. Now, it’s time to act — to get it done.
Sen. Blunt Rochester’s leadership gives Delaware a strong voice in that fight. She understands that this reform isn’t just about policy; it’s about people: the mother who shouldn’t have to drive 30 miles for a prescription, the pharmacist who wants to keep serving her neighbors and the small-business owner who deserves a fair shot to compete.
Delawareans should be proud that our senator is helping lead the charge for a more transparent, more competitive and more patient-centered health care system. However, to make that vision a reality, Congress must finish the job and pass PBM reform. Patients, pharmacists and small businesses across the country are counting on it.
It’s time to stand with Sen. Blunt Rochester — and get PBM reform done.
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
