FLORIDA – Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier issued a Civil Investigative Demand to CVS Health Corporation, the owner of the Caremark pharmacy benefit manager and hundreds of CVS retail pharmacies across the state, raising questions about whether the company has used its market position to undercut competitors and limit patient choice.
What is a Civil Investigative Demand?
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A Civil Investigative Demand, or CID, is a legal tool that compels a company to produce documents and sworn testimony as part of a government investigation. The demand requires CVS Health to turn over thousands of documents by July 28, 2026, covering reimbursement rates, pharmacy contracts, patient steering, audits, rebates and expansion plans.
Why CVS Health is under scrutiny
Pharmacy Benefit Managers, commonly known as PBMs, control which drugs are covered by insurance, how much pharmacies are paid and where patients fill prescriptions. The three largest PBMs — including Caremark — handle about 80% of U.S. prescriptions.
CVS Health’s dual role as both a dominant PBM operator and a major pharmacy chain — with more than 9,000 locations nationwide, including roughly 800 in Florida — has raised concerns about self-preferencing and vertical integration.
The probe examines whether CVS/Caremark steers patients to its own retail locations, reimburses its affiliated stores more generously than independent pharmacies for identical prescriptions, imposes burdensome audits that claw back payments and enforces restrictive contracts that threaten small, independent pharmacies.
What officials are saying
“Florida families and seniors deserve access to affordable medication and real pharmacy choices — not a system rigged by one giant corporation that may favor its own stores and squeeze out competitors,” Uthmeier said. “This investigation will uncover the truth and protect fair competition for all Floridians.”
Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Shevaun Harris voiced support for the action.
“Floridians expect a health care system that works for them, not against them,” Harris said. “The Attorney General’s action is an important step toward that future, and AHCA is proud to stand alongside this effort to ensure accountability of PBMs.”
Aneesh Lakhani, incoming president of the Florida Pharmacy Association, was pointed in his assessment of the industry.
“The Attorney General’s action today sends a clear and necessary message: the era of unchecked PBM abuse in Florida is over,” Lakhani said. “My patients deserve better. Florida deserves better. The system wasn’t broken, PBMs broke the system. We will not rest until they are held fully accountable.”
Pharmacy deserts a growing concern
Investigators say the alleged practices may be contributing to pharmacy closures and the creation of “pharmacy deserts” — areas where patients, particularly seniors and low-income families, have few or no nearby options for filling prescriptions. The result, officials say, is fewer choices and higher costs for essential medications.