It’s a shame Veterans Day isn’t every day. It’s nice to remind our veterans how much they matter, but, unfortunately, sometimes other interests matter more on the other 364 days of the year.
Since the Civil War, Alabama has built a rich military history and a reputation for producing millions of America’s finest warfighters – on the ground through Fort McClellan in Anniston and in the air at Fort Novosel and Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base.
Alabama is so steeped in military tradition that many patriotic and dedicated soldiers want to call Alabama home after they’re discharged.
They buy affordable land in rural areas and settle into a comfortable retirement in tight-knit communities alongside the state’s 377,000 other veterans and 13,200 active-duty service members.
Despite this rich history there are conversations taking place in Montgomery about reforms that will limit Veteran access to healthcare as some are considering a 2026 bill like Arkansas’ Act 624, which suddenly made it illegal for specific companies and pharmacies to operate under the same ownership.
If Alabama’s lawmakers truly want to show concern for veterans, they should avoid copying this legislation, as it could disrupt TRICARE, the Veteran Affairs mail-order prescription service many service members depend on.
The courts in Arkansas ruled that this law violated the Constitution, yet there remains interest in expanding similar legislation here in Alabama.
If Alabama followed Arkansas and tried to harm this service with poor legislation, nearly every Alabamian who buys prescription drugs through their insurance plans would be affected.
However, it’s Alabama’s 377,000 veterans insured under TRICARE who would face the greatest impact.
First, the TRICARE that Alabama’s veterans know today would be gone.
They would helplessly see their drug costs skyrocket. Why? Outside of the logistical nightmare of reorganizing the entire program for the state, whoever is chosen to run TRICARE would not benefit from the collective leverage the current program has because it operates nationally.
The current system allows for the VA to use its size to negotiate lower prescription drug prices for Veterans and active-duty military while also ensuring prescriptions are delivered on time via home delivery.
Veterans have more health challenges than nearly any other group in the U.S., which is why they need and deserve our support. Their injuries range from chronic physical conditions to mental health.
Taking away Alabama veterans’ mail-order options and isolating them in manmade pharmacy deserts is cruel, especially when so many of our state’s veterans and their families have given so much for their country.
Extreme stress enduring the conditions in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other theaters of war has made veterans more susceptible to PTSD, depression, and anxiety disorders. To fight these health issues, they need access to prescription drugs through the mail or at pharmacies close by. But by enacting an Arkansas like bill, Alabama’s legislators would take that away.
Messing with TRICARE access was a bad move by Arkansas legislators, and it would clearly be the wrong move in Alabama. PBMs deliver lower costs and greater access for Alabama’s veterans. Crippling PBMs and their business models with bad legislation will only drive up veterans’ drug costs while endangering their health.
Legislators should leave TRICARE and the VA pharmacy programs alone. Show us that every day is Veterans Day with your actions instead of lofty speeches one day a year.
Roy Brook is a former long haul and local truck driver, a proud father and resident of Bessemer.
