At 2025 NACDS Annual Meeting, Leadership Emphasizes Pharmacies’ Commitment to Healthcare Innovation and Advocacy for Policy Reform

Amid a rapidly changing healthcare landscape, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) 2025 Annual Meeting is sending a clear message: pharmacies aren’t just adapting — they’re leading the charge. On Sunday morning during the Business Program, NACDS leaders emphasized the essential role of pharmacies in healthcare, the pressing need for policy reforms, and the vital importance of innovation and collaboration.

NACDS Chair Kevin Host, senior vice president of pharmacy at Walmart, and NACDS President and CEO Steven C. Anderson set the tone for the meeting with energizing remarks, tackling the hard truths and dynamic opportunities that define pharmacy today.

The program also welcomed political analysts Jonah Goldberg and Stephen Hayes of The Dispatch, who provided sharp perspective on the current political climate and its impact on healthcare. Haleon supported this morning’s Business Program. Similarly, Kenvue is supporting Tuesday’s Business Program.

Among the themes that Host and Anderson emphasized was the importance of retailer-supplier collaboration and its central role at NACDS.

Host said, “Partnership between suppliers, retailers, and everyone in this room is what fuels progress in our industry. It’s what makes NACDS not only relevant, but essential… Thank you for joining this mission. Thank you for your commitment and your action. And thank you for the opportunity to serve in this remarkable association. It’s truly a privilege and an honor.”

Both leaders emphasized the essential role of pharmacy in bringing about changes in healthcare that are needed to advance the health and wellness of all Americans.

Anderson said, “Healthcare needs to be disrupted. Our system focuses on ‘sick-care’ not on ‘health-care.’ We are spending time on ‘life-span’ when we should be focusing on ‘health-span’ so Americans can be healthy throughout their lives as they age. We need to spend more time preventing chronic disease, not just treating it after it is diagnosed.”

To confront current threats to the industry and to empower pharmacies to innovate in health and wellness, Host and Anderson called for immediate action on public policy priorities. Among the hot button issues are pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform and avenues that provide payment for pharmacy services.

On PBM reform, Anderson said, “My message to Congress and to the Trump Administration is this: just ‘call the vote.’ Vote on PBM reform now — with no distractions. Congress has done the work. Reforms are ready.”

Regarding payment for pharmacy services Anderson noted the importance of enacting new legislation: “To show how ridiculous our nation’s healthcare system is, seniors in Medicare cannot access many pharmacist services allowed by state law – because there is no Medicare payment mechanism.”

Anderson continued, “Healthcare is no longer just evolving, it is changing exponentially. NACDS provided our scale and speed during the pandemic. We are now leading in healthcare disruption and technology with that same scale and speed. Whether we are talking about pharmacy’s potential or about its perils, you can be sure that NACDS is committed to results-driven leadership.”

Host said, “I’m an optimist at heart. And I believe our future is bright – but we need to match our optimism with advocacy, our potential with policy, and our belief with bold action. So my challenge to you is this: go back to your teams and ask, ‘are we doing enough?’ Because what’s at stake isn’t just the future of pharmacy – it’s how Americans access health, wellness, and care. At the heart of all of this is trust. It’s what every pharmacist builds every day – across every counter, every consultation, every prescription.”

As the industry navigates these challenges, NACDS leadership left no doubt: the future of pharmacy will be defined by those who dare to act boldly, collaborate deeply, and refuse to settle for the status quo.

Photos are available via Flickr.