By Edward Lynn
Editor
EAGLE GROVE, Iowa — A Facebook post by Eagle Grove Pharmacy owner Andrew Wagner has not only gone viral—it’s now become the focus of statewide television coverage by WHO13 News out of Des Moines, bringing Eagle Grove’s independent pharmacy crisis to greater awareness.
The story, first reported by the Eagle, gained new attention Friday when WHO13 reporter Teodora Mitov—who has been covering related stories statewide for some time—traveled to Eagle Grove to feature the pharmacy, its legacy, and its uncertain future amid growing pressure from pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).
“It’s a story heard across the state,” Mitov opened in her report. “Pharmacies are struggling to keep their doors open, and communities are losing access to healthcare.”
A Pharmacy Built on Community Roots
The WHO13 story chronicled the pharmacy’s deep local roots, beginning with pharmacist Mickey Cooper, who co-founded the business in 1984 by converting her husband’s downtown carpet store into a pharmacy. “We started with a typewriter, no computers, and just us,” she said.
Now, four decades later, the pharmacy remains a family-centered business, passed on to Andrew and Rachel Wagner in 2021—who bought the business the day after they were married.
Wagner wasn’t new to the business, he started working there in middle school. “He helped me count my first perpetual inventory,” Cooper told WHO13.
Andrew studied pharmacy at Drake University and returned home to Eagle Grove to raise a family and take over the pharmacy with Rachel. Their two sons, Archie and Wyatt, are often seen in the store with them. “Archie does deliveries sometimes,” Rachel said. “He loves it, knocking on doors and giving people medicine.”
A Personal Impact, Not Just Prescriptions
Inside the pharmacy, a bulletin board displays community events, and the staff work closely with schools and medical providers to support residents. And Mitov highlighted stories that underscore how the pharmacy’s value goes far beyond dispensing medications.
“Mickey probably saved my husband’s life not too many years ago,” said longtime Eagle Grove resident Colleen Bartlett. Her husband Bob didn’t feel well one graduation weekend, and she wasn’t sure what to do. “So I called Mickey,” she said.
Cooper advised them to go to the hospital. “When they arrived, they found out Bob was having a heart attack,” Mitov reported. “I’m really blessed, truly blessed that we had Mickey,” Bob told WHO13. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known. I probably would’ve been home and I wouldn’t be here today.”
Still, Cooper downplayed the praise. “I don’t think about it much because to me it’s my job. It’s just what you do,” she told Mitov, holding back tears.
The pharmacy’s reach continues today under Wagner’s leadership. Beth Wilson, the elementary school nurse, described how the pharmacy provided critical COVID, flu, and strep testing when healthcare access was otherwise limited. “There are so many things that I rely on them for,” Wilson said.
“And not only that,” she added, “but Andrew was able to, if you had a positive strep test, he was able to fill a prescription for that as well. And I think that eased the burden.”
Wilson also said Wagner often provided emergency medications to students even if their families couldn’t pay until payday. “They are an invaluable resource to us as school nurses,” she said.
Dr. Tiffini Toliver, a family practice provider in Clarion, said she regularly relies on the pharmacy after hours. “It’s never a concern. It doesn’t matter what they’re doing, what the weather’s like. They make it happen.”
The PBM Squeeze
Despite its indispensable role, Eagle Grove Pharmacy is now under financial strain. In his Facebook post, Wagner said more than one-third of prescriptions filled last year were at a loss—driven by PBMs reimbursing pharmacies at rates below drug cost. “I’m almost to the point of begging our patients, friends, and family members to reach out to your local state senators and representatives and voice your support for PBM reform,” Wagner wrote in his viral post.
According to WHO13, 31 Iowa pharmacies closed in 2023. More are expected to follow, including a Colfax pharmacy already projecting its closure, and others in Minden and Oskaloosa that have already shut down.
“We just want to stay in Eagle Grove and raise our family here,” Wagner told the TV station. “And be able to send them to college one day. That’s the most important thing for us. And then our staff, that they can keep their job, have good-paying jobs they can afford to live.”
But Wagner said without reform, that vision may not be possible. “I may have to come up with an exit strategy in the next five years,” he said.
What Reform Could Mean
A PBM reform bill is now under consideration in the Iowa Legislature. It would require fair-cost reimbursement and protect patients’ right to choose their pharmacy. Similar laws have passed in other states, with no evidence of premium increases, according to WHO13.
Last year, similar reform stalled without a vote. Independent pharmacists fear this year’s effort could face the same fate.
Wilson warned the impact of closure would be dire. “We also live in a poverty, a high poverty area,” she said. “Some people don’t have a car to drive 30 miles. Some of them don’t have the gas money to drive that far. That means some of our families wouldn’t go get the medication.”
Wagner urged patients to make their voices heard before it’s too late. “We really love being your pharmacy,” he stated in the post that caught so much attention. “Please voice your support for local healthcare so we can stop thinking about all these scary ‘what ifs.’”
For more information or to contact legislators, visit patientsfirst.org/iowa.
Watch the WHO13 report below, and read their coverage here.
