Advocate for Georgia Pharmacies Fired Over Social Media Post

ATLANTA – A former president of the Georgia Pharmacy Association has been fired by a prominent health-care services company after criticizing Gov. Brian Kemp’s veto of legislation supporters said would help independent pharmacies out of a competitive disadvantage with pharmacy chains.

Joe Ed Holt of Valdosta, a clinical consultant pharmacist with PruittHealth, warned in a posting on his Facebook page in early May that the veto of Senate Bill 198 – which had cleared the General Assembly with only “one” no vote – could put some independent pharmacies out of business.

Holt told Capitol Beat the company contacted him within hours and asked him to take down the post because it jeopardized their relationship with the governor. He said he did so immediately but was fired the following day with no notice and no severance pay despite 17 years with the company.

“I was shocked,” Holt said. “It was my personal Facebook page. I didn’t mention anything about PruittHealth.”
Neil Pruitt Jr., the company’s chairman and CEO, and a longtime member of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents, did not return a phone call seeking comment.

The bill would have required the State Health Benefit Plan (SHBP), which covers Georgia teachers and state employees, to reimburse independent pharmacies filling prescriptions at rates no less than the average reimbursement provided to chain pharmacies.

Holt said the current reimbursement model isn’t working for independent pharmacies.

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