In the latest flash point over efforts to reintroduce

But some 25% of the prescriptions he fills today are reimbursed for less than what he bought the medications for. Jones said he lost $30,000 between the beginning of the year and mid-May.Hence, the uncashed checks.

“I’m working for free a lot,” he said. “And I don’t mind. I love to serve the community. But I kind of resent having to do that because of large corporations, huge pharmacy benefit managers, that are making millions of dollars a year.”, or PBMs, help employers and insurers decide which drugs are covered for millions of Americans.And the lack of transparency around fees and low reimbursements from PBMs is one of the biggest financial pressures for rural pharmacies, said Delesha Carpenter of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who leads a research alliance of

The Basin Pharmacy is seen in Basin, Wyo. (AP Photo/Mike Clark)The Basin Pharmacy is seen in Basin, Wyo. (AP Photo/Mike Clark)

But Greg Lopes, a spokesman for the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association that represents PBMs, disputed PBMs’ role in closures and noted that some companies work with rural pharmacies to get higher reimbursements for drugs.

Jones came back to the Basin area after pharmacy school. His daughter Camilla would come into the pharmacy with him on Sundays and he’d quiz her on different medications.Avocado demand has also been buoyed by consumers’ growing interest in healthy fats, said Emiliano Escobedo, executive director of the Hass Avocado Board.

A 2000 U.S. law created the board that collected 2.5 cents for every pound (0.5 kilograms) of avocados imported or produced in the United States. The board used the money to market avocados and conduct nutritional research, an effort that has been widely credited with making the fruit ubiquitous in supermarkets and on restaurant menus.“It’s been really wildly successful. It generates way more money than most of these other industry boards do,” said Richard Sexton, distinguished professor of agricultural and resource economics at the University of California, Davis. “When you look at the growth rate in avocado consumption relative to all fruits, the difference in growth rate is dramatic.”

Andreas Tompros looks out at his avocado farm, Ridgecrest Avocados, in Somis, Calif., on Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)Andreas Tompros looks out at his avocado farm, Ridgecrest Avocados, in Somis, Calif., on Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)