CVS Health’s merger is under fire. The out-of-state company’s campaign included sending text messages to Louisiana residents urging them to oppose a proposed state law aimed specifically at lowering prescription drugs costs. It claims that the company used customers’ personal information, which they provided to receive notifications about new pharmaceuticals, to fight against the still-pending legislation. Additional issues The corporate use of AI for lobbying raises privacy and ethical concerns in practices.
The text messages, which included links to draft letters urging citizens to contact lawmakers and oppose the legislation, drew immediate backlash from state officials. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill has opened an investigation. Her goal is to determine whether CVS violated customers’ privacy in their quest to influence public policy. Murrill sent CVS a cease-and-desist letter ordering them to stop the messaging campaign.
The legislation, which has the support of new Governor Jeff Landry, would promote lower prescription drug prices for Louisiana residents. Landry slammed CVS for attempting to hoodwink the public. He strongly claimed that the bill, in fact, would improve average citizens’ access to drugs. He even added his promise to call a special legislative session to seek similar initiatives.
Amy Thibault, a spokesperson for CVS, said in an email that those text messages were sent in response to an eleventh-hour amendment adopted into the bill. This poisonous amendment made any real public discussion impossible.
“We believe we have a responsibility to inform our customers of misguided legislation that seeks to shutter their trusted pharmacy, and we acted accordingly,” – Amy Thibault
The controversy intensified when Republican Representative Bryan Fontenot shared a text message from CVS as evidence of the company’s overreach. That message warned that the new legislation would endanger community pharmacies and raise the price of medicine.
Fontenot added that she’s disheartened to receive political messages on the same thread her prescriptions are sent via.
“It’s in the same text thread (used) to notify when my prescription is filled,” he stated.
Fontenot continued to bemoan, “They’ve now expanded that so that they could send me political texts.
Lawmakers from Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island wrote letters or issued statements condemning CVS’s communications as deceptive and misleading. Democratic Representative Dixon McMakin called the messages a sneaky and dishonest lie.
“No we’re not, you liars. Quit being liars. Quit using scare tactics,” – Rep. Dixon McMakin
Moreover, in a statement against the growing backlash, Governor Landry charged opponents with fear-mongering to turn public sentiment against the bill. The focused backlash caused him to overreact in denying the truth that CVS’s misleading text messages were in fact misleading.
“Last minute legislation in Louisiana threatens to close your CVS Pharmacy — your medication cost may go up and your pharmacist may lose their job,” read one of the messages sent by CVS.
Murrill went further than just denouncing CVS’s actions. He asserted that the company had little regard for the needs of the public good, focusing on its own corporate self-interest instead.
“They’ve now taken that to send me political texts for their own personal corporate interests against pending legislation,” – Liz Murrill
She reiterated that consumers entered in their phone numbers to receive health updates from them, not to be lobbied for the industry’s political agenda.
“That’s not why anybody gave them their phone number,” – Liz Murrill
As the legislative session wrapped up on Thursday afternoon, Governor Landry reiterated his commitment to reducing prescription drug costs for Louisiana citizens.
“Yes, we will have a special to lower prescription drugs for our citizens,” – Gov. Jeff Landry
The debate stemming from CVS’s text messaging campaign serves to point out the increased impact of healthcare, privacy, and corporate lobbying. That begs the question—how are companies using customer data? Perhaps most importantly, it shines a stark light on the ethical impacts of these practices on public policy. We hope that the result of Attorney General Murrill’s investigation will be CVS’s withdrawal from Louisiana, or failing that, enforcement of stronger Medicaid fraud regulations.
