The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) commended Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-MT) for including several critical provisions to help community pharmacies better serve patients in the “America’s Healthy Future Act” proposed today. In response, NCPA Executive Vice President and CEO Bruce T. Roberts, RPh issued the following statement:
“Community pharmacies have long had an ally in Chairman Baucus and we thank him for incorporating a number of important provisions in his proposal. This legislation is a welcome starting point for health care reform in the Senate.
“Medicaid reimbursement levels for generic drugs are currently scheduled to plummet far below even the drug’s acquisition cost. The Baucus proposal sets federal upper limits for the reimbursement of Medicaid generic drugs at 175% of the weighted average of the average manufacturer’s price (AMP). While we’re still analyzing the full impact of this change, no other health reform proposal goes so far to ensure community pharmacies can continue serving Medicaid beneficiaries.
“The Baucus proposal exempts small pharmacies – already regulated and licensed by states – from the durable medical equipment (DME) accreditation requirements. But the bill is not expected to become law soon enough to help community pharmacies. Congress should pass legislation before Sept. 30 to extend the Medicare accreditation deadline.
“We applaud Chairman Baucus for ensuring that community pharmacies will be compensated fairly for dispensing medicines covered by the Medicare Part D coverage gap program.
“We continue to look at other sections of the bill, including any new requirements for small businesses to provide health insurance. We hope Senators expand the availability of pharmacist-delivered medication therapy management to improve patient outcomes and lower costs. And we will continue working with Senators on pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) transparency language to reduce costs and help plan sponsors make more informed decisions.”
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