Unless there is an increase, Heidrick says he will not accept them in the new contract year starting in January 2008. His requests with the insurance companies have fallen on deaf ears. "There are many plans available; people need to choose one that works for then and the pharmacy they choose.”
He notes that the larger retail chains do not rely on their pharmacies for income. In most cases they are a loss leader to get customers into the stores to purchase non-pharmacy items. "That is not the case in small rural pharmacies. The pharmacy has to be profitable for the business to exist," said Heidrick.
CMS has said the reimbursement fee should be announced by the end of spring. This would mean pharmacies should know no later than June 20. The problem with that date is that the current legislative session will have ended and will not allow for the federal government to change any decisions. It would force pharmacies to deal with the cut in reimbursement rates until the next session.
Rep. Jerry Moran (R-KS) is involved with a letter campaign to CMS. It is part of an effort to stop this new mandate or possibly get them to table the idea until more information can be gathered and figures are put together that pharmacists can work with.
Senator Pat Roberts is working to get the same things accomplished through a letter on the senate side. In a press release on March 17, Senator Roberts said, “American families rely on their pharmacists, and this short-sighted proposal will create significant economic hardships for our local pharmacies, which ultimately threatens patient access to their needed drugs.”
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...