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Drug Retailers Form Coalition for Meaningful
Medicaid Reform
Launching ad campaign aimed at Congressional budget
cuts
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From the
Kaiser Commission report "Medicaid and the Uninsured."
Click for pdf. |
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Oct. 17, 2005 – As Congress returns its focus to
the federal budget, after being flooded by hurricane woes, a major topic
will be how to reduce the cost of Medicaid. Many consumer advocates for
senior citizens and the disabled are geared for the fight. Today,
another major player entered the ring in the form of the Coalition for
Meaningful Medicaid Reform – an organization formed by the National
Association of Chain Drug Stores and the National Community Pharmacists
Association.
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A series of ads will begin to run tomorrow in order
to express the Coalition's hope for “meaningful changes” to Medicaid.
In the announcement, the groups said they have
organized “due to concerns about the potential impact of Medicaid budget
cuts on healthcare. The Coalition will bring together members who share
concerns about the current direction of Medicaid reform.
"Congressional action on Medicaid appears imminent,
and while we have few details about the shape Medicaid reform will take
-- most of what we know, we don't like," said NACDS President and CEO
Craig Fuller.
"We appreciate that policy makers have worked
diligently to find appropriate ways to reform Medicaid; however, we fear
that billions of dollars in cuts are being targeted at the Medicaid
benefits that support our nation's most vulnerable citizens. The only
way the private sector can provide medication through Medicaid is to be
fairly reimbursed for the cost of the products and the professional
services pharmacists provide," he said.
The Coalition's said their formation is a
reflection of pharmacy's concern for the 50 million Americans who
receive healthcare through their state Medicaid programs. Community
pharmacy filled over 800 million Medicaid prescriptions in 2004, a
number expected to increase in 2005 due to the addition of many Katrina
evacuees to the Medicaid rolls.
"Community pharmacy has worked with state Medicaid
programs to help implement cost savings and provide quality health care
-- helping save tens of millions of dollars for states and the Federal
Government," explained Bruce Roberts, Executive Vice President and CEO
of NCPA. "Community pharmacy has been particularly successful in
increasing the use of lower-cost generic medications. That is why we
strongly believe that a critical ingredient in achieving Medicaid
savings is the establishment of a new system that encourages generic
drug dispensing to Medicaid recipients. We can help Congress achieve
Medicaid savings if they will partner with community pharmacy instead of
making ill-advised budget cuts that will jeopardize patient access."
"Any rational and meaningful reform of Medicaid's
prescription drug program must recognize that one of the best ways to
find significant savings is to increase generic drug utilization and
address the true cost of Medicaid prescription drug spend," Fuller
added.
Roberts concluded, "A successful Medicaid
prescription drug program needs the support of America's 55,000
pharmacies and nearly 150,000 pharmacists who work with Medicaid
patients every day. There are many ways to protect the financial future
of the Medicaid prescription drug benefit without jeopardizing the
future of community pharmacy."
The options Congress will consider are likely to
include the one put forth by the Administration in the FY 2006 proposed
budget, the National Governors Association (NGA), the Secretary’s
Medicaid Commission report released September 1, and the National
Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).
The Coalition for Meaningful Medicaid Reform
current membership list is available on the website and below (http://www.meaningfulmedicaidreform.org/).
The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS)
represents the nation's leading retail chain pharmacies and suppliers,
helping them better meet the changing needs of their patients and
customers. Chain pharmacy operates more than 35,000 pharmacies, employs
120,000 pharmacists, fills more than 2.1 billion prescriptions yearly,
and has annual sales of over $500 billion. Other members include more
than 1000 suppliers of products and services to the chain drug industry.
For more information about NACDS visit
http://www.nacds.org/.
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The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA)
represents the nation's community pharmacists, including the owners of
more than 24,000 pharmacies. The nations' independent pharmacies,
independent pharmacy franchise and, independent chains represent an $84
billion marketplace dispensing nearly half of the nation's retail
pharmacy prescriptions. For more information about NCPA, visit
http://www.ncpanet.org/.
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