How the Government Shutdown Affected Pharmacy Industry Operations

Editor’s Note: This podcast was recorded prior to President Trump signing the bill to end the most recent government shutdown.

With a variety of pharmacy industry stakeholders gearing up for 2026, anticipated events such as Medicare drug price negotiations are on the horizon. However, the historic 43-day government shutdown intervened in many pharmacy operations regarding the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).¹

Although several CMS functions were deemed essential and continued to operate, the sheer convenience of pharmacy stakeholders having CMS and the federal government as a resource has not made processes any easier throughout the past few weeks.

“Knowing that there was a potential for this, we were already putting some contingencies in place. We had to make some modifications to our work group meeting, which we're here today for,” Rick Sage, executive vice president of innovation and standards at NCPDP, told Drug Topics. “Once the government is back in session again, it's very much so having that government resource; [it] really does impact so many of our members and the people [from CMS] that we've built quite the collaborative relationship with.”

At the NCPDP’s November Work Group meeting in Philadelphia, Drug Topics was on-site to listen to some of the conversations pharmacy industry leaders hosted regarding electronic prior authorization, Medicare provisions, government programming, and more. Following some of the discussions, we caught up with Sage to gain a deeper insight into the NCPDP’s current work amid an unprecedented shutdown, as well as a brand-new discounted drug price program set to roll out in 2026.

In this episode of Over the Counter, Sage discusses the government shutdown, pharmacies’ role in the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program, and the nuances of increasing vaccine services in community pharmacy. Learn more from a pharmacy executive on the ground floor of industry innovation and standards.

Stay tuned for weekly podcast episodes of Over the Counter, powered by Drug Topics, every Thursday afternoon. Check out our most recent episode with Dae Lee, PharmD, Esq, CPBS; and Lucas Morgan, Esq, shareholders with Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney. They discussed the current developments regarding pharmacy benefit manager reform at the state and federal levels.

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REFERENCE

1. Morgan D, McCaskill ND, Erickson B, Slattery G. Trump signs deal to end longest US government shutdown in history. Reuters. November 13, 2025. Accessed November 20, 2025. https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-house-vote-deal-end-longest-government-shutdown-history-2025-11-12/