Legislation for increased Medicaid reimbursement payments proposed; NCPA responds

ALEXANDRIA, Va. A letter from two members of Congress to the chairman and ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee seeking an increase in Medicaid prescription drug reimbursements has drawn a response from an organization representing the country’s independent pharmacies.

Reps. Marion Berry, D-Ark., and Jerry Moran, R-Kan., cochairs of the bipartisan Community Pharmacy Coalition, recently sent a letter to Reps. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and Joe Barton, R-Texas, seeking an increase in the proposed fix for Medicaid pharmacy prescription reimbursement in H.R. 3200, the Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009.

“Thanks to Congress and the federal courts, devastating cuts to Medicaid prescription pharmacy reimbursements have not yet gone into effect,” National Community Pharmacists Association CEO Bruce Roberts said in a response. “But the clock is ticking. If it strikes midnight, according to the Government Accountability Office, pharmacies dispensing generics will be paid by Medicaid, on average, 36% below the drug’s cost. The resulting fallout will force many pharmacies to either limit or completely drop out of Medicaid, or possibly go out of business.”

Roberts praised the letter from Berry and Moran.

“These congressmen understand the importance of maintaining access to the valuable services community pharmacies provide, especially in underserved rural and urban communities,” Roberts said. “Healthcare reform is not only about lowering costs, but also about improving outcomes.”