The Medicaid proposal follows the advent of Medicare Part D, and would be the second program in two years that had a significant financial impact on rural pharmacies. Medicare Part D was the reason cited for the closing of another Beloit Pharmacy. Heidrick says most of the Medicare eligible people that also qualify for Medicaid are now covered under Medicare Part D, so the number of Medicaid patients in Mitchell County has decreased. "Medicare Part D is a great program for Medicare eligible patients," said Heidrick.
Currently, the Center for Medicare Services (CMS) has not announced what the reimbursement fees of generic medicine will be. As a result, many pharmacy owners are hesitating to enter into new contracts. If pharmacies like S and S Drug are forced to close or forced to no longer accept Medicaid, the impact on people could be great.
Customers will be forced to find other ways to get their much-needed prescriptions filled. This may mean being having to drive to other towns, or in the case of Mitchell County, to other counties. Parents would be forced to drive several miles to get the medicine they may need right away for their children. The only other option individuals will have is to go without.
Currently there are 36 counties in Kansas that have only one retail pharmacist. Seven counties have none at all. Last year five pharmacies were forced to shut their doors. This brought the number to 22 pharmacies closing in the state of Kansas according to the Kansas Pharmacist Association. Many of these pharmacies were in rural areas.
Heidrick says he has always accepted all Medicare Part D plans, but after two years experience and data, it is evident that while the majority of the plans offer a fair and equitable reimbursement, there are certain plans that are not profitable or fair to the pharmacy. In order for it to be so, there would need to be an increase in reimbursement.
Article comments
1 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Another reason to institute SOCIALIZED MEDICINE in the United States. The government is playing off the small pharmacies against the Walgreens and Snyders of the country to kill them off...
Another rabbit punch to poor and lower middle income people...