'It's a struggle to pay the bills': Illinois independent pharmacies say they're being squeezed by middlemen
The pharmacy's workers cleared the shelves. A maintenance crew took down the signs. And then they shut the pharmacy's doors for the final time in July.
Dave Falk said he was forced to close his Sav-Mor Pharmacy in rural Mount Pulaski, Ill., after the recent expansion of a state program that relies on private insurers to administer Medicaid benefits for the state.
"There were no funds to pay the bills," said Falk, who owns about 15 other pharmacies in Illinois. "I was seeing a loss."
His former customers now have to travel more than 10 miles to get to the next nearest pharmacy. He worries they'll skimp on their medications rather than make the drive. Falk also closed a pharmacy in Mount
