Kevin Host celebrates pharmacy’s vital role, urges bold action for the future

Speaking at the NACDS Annual Meeting Business I Program, Kevin Host, senior vice president, Walmart, delivered a heartfelt and powerful address highlighting the essential role of community pharmacies in American healthcare. He praised the enduring partnership between retailers and suppliers, honored the NACDS staff and retiring industry leader Jim Whitman, and recognized the unwavering support of his family. Host emphasized that pharmacies are not just retail counters, but trusted wellness destinations integrating care, lifestyle and community.

However, Host also sounded an urgent alarm: the unchecked growth of pharmacy benefit managers has led to the closure of nearly 6,000 pharmacies since 2018, threatening patient access to care. Host called on Congress to act swiftly to reform PBM practices and for federal recognition of pharmacists as healthcare providers, citing the urgent need to fill the growing primary care gap. 

Host concluded with a moving story about the human connections built at pharmacy counters, reminding attendees that trust and care are the foundation of the profession. Host challenged everyone in the industry to advocate boldly for change—because the future of healthcare access in America depends on it.