Mom-and-pop pharmacies will be better able to compete with mail-order companies because of a bill that Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has signed into law. The bill barred insurers or employers from forcing patients to use mail-order plans for prescription drugs, except for plans negotiated by unions. Instead, consumers would be guaranteed the choice of having their prescriptions filled either through mail-order or at the local drugstore, without any added copayments or fees.
