Broad Pharmacy Coalition Urges Senate To Pass Fair Medicaid Drug Payment Act This Year

Main Category: Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP
Also Included In: Pharmacy / Pharmacist
Article Date: 20 Nov 2007 - 4:00 PDT

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A coalition of organizations representing community pharmacies and pharmacists, pharmacy benefit managers (PBM), health care distributors, and generic pharmaceutical manufacturers urged the Senate to deliver an essential remedy this year to the pending pharmacy Medicaid reimbursement cuts scheduled for January 2008.

The associations and professional societies sent letters to all members of the U.S. Senate to urge passage of Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus' (D-MT) Fair Medicaid Drug Payment Act, S. 1951. Organizations signing the letter include the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS), the National Community Pharmacists Association ( NCPA), the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA), the Healthcare Distribution Management Association (HDMA), the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA), and the Generic Pharmaceutical Association (GPhA).

In the letter, the organizations said of S. 1951 and the need to pass it this year: "This legislation will help protect low income Americans' access to critical health care services by ensuring that Medicaid payments to community pharmacies are reasonable and support a level of care these vulnerable patients deserve."

"No health care provider should be expected to participate in a health care program at below cost reimbursement. The potentially devastating effects on pharmacy access should be obvious."

The complete letter is available here.

National Association of Chain Drug Stores

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