Longs announces it will continue to honor prescriptions under Medi-Cal program

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. California’s plan to cut pharmacy reimbursements for its Medi-Cal health program will not stop Longs Drug Stores from honoring new and refilled prescriptions, Longs announced Tuesday.

Longs cited concern for patients with cancer, mental illnesses and HIV and AIDS.

“We believe that continuing to fill these prescriptions is the right thing to do for our patients at the current time,” said Bruce Schwallie, Longs’ executive vice president of business development and managed care. “We have a tradition of caring for Californians for over 70 years, and we want to make certain our patients have access to their necessary medications.”

In February, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into a law a 10 percent reduction in reimbursements that the state legislator passed because of a multibillion-dollar budget deficit.