Medicaid Pharmacy Cuts Could Force More Than 11,000 Pharmacies to Close, Affecting 300,000 Jobs and $31.1 Billion in Output

A report, appear accordingly today by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) and the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), analyzes the abeyant appulse of the DRA on pharmacies (Impact of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 on Pharmacies by State), encompassing alternation biologic stores, absolute pharmacies and accumulation merchants and supermarkets with pharmacies. These cuts abuse to abate acceptance to medications and pharmacy services, and they aswell abuse the animation of communities Pharmacies are the face of adjacency healthcare, but these cuts could clean these faces away, decidedly in rural and burghal areas with college Medicaid populations. In abounding rural and burghal communities, supermarkets accommodate the alone pharmacies able to serve Medicaid patients By abbreviation Medicaid reimbursements as this law requires, abounding pharmacies would be affected to close, and low-income Americans would accept to biking abounding afar to access basic medicines.

Alexandria, Va. (Vocus/PRWEB ) May 20, 2008 -- An bread-and-butter impact study of the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) of 2005 finds that 11,105 pharmacies above the country could abutting due to reductions in the Medicaid agreement rate, able-bodied below their amount to ample prescriptions. These pharmacies accomplish added than 300,000 jobs and $31.1 billion throughout the nation's economy.

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The report, appear accordingly today by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) and the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), analyzes the abeyant appulse of the DRA on pharmacies (Impact of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 on Pharmacies by State), encompassing alternation biologic stores, absolute pharmacies and accumulation merchants and supermarkets with pharmacies.

To the admeasurement that pharmacy closures artlessly alter patients to added pharmacies, the net impacts would be smaller. However, this offers little achievement to pharmacies in rural areas and burghal neighborhoods with ample Medicaid populations back these areas would be absurd to sustain their businesses and advance pharmacy access. The accident of pharmacies for these Medicaid participants would abnormally affect their health, according to NACDS and FMI.

The Medicaid affairs pays retail pharmacies a dispensing fee additional a agreement rate
designed to awning the amount of accepting the biologic from the architect for Medicaid
prescriptions. The changes in the Medicaid agreement ante beneath the DRA could badly lower pharmacy agreement ante and aftereffect in bags of pharmacies closing, authoritative pharmacies beneath accessible to patients.

The abstraction is based on estimates provided in able affidavit by Steven Schondelmeyer, a assistant at the University of Minnesota, that 20 percent of pharmacies could abutting due to the DRA.

The abstraction finds that the appulse of the abatement in agreement ante on the amount of pharmacies will alter by state. However, the better allotment reductions in pharmacies are projected in New York (40 percent), the District of Columbia (37 percent), Louisiana (32 percent), West Virginia (30 percent) and Alaska (28 percent).

“These cuts abuse to abate acceptance to medications and pharmacy services, and they aswell abuse the animation of communities,” said NACDS President and CEO Steven C. Anderson, IOM, CAE. “Pharmacies are the face of adjacency healthcare, but these cuts could clean these faces away, decidedly in rural and burghal areas with college Medicaid populations.”

“In abounding rural and burghal communities, supermarkets accommodate the alone pharmacies able to serve Medicaid patients,” said Tim Hammonds, admiral and CEO at FMI. “By abbreviation Medicaid reimbursements as this law requires, abounding pharmacies would be affected to close, and low-income Americans would accept to biking abounding afar to access basic medicines.”

The abstraction was conducted for the National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the Food Marketing Institute by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, the assurance, tax and advising firm.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores represents the nation’s arch retail alternation pharmacies and suppliers, allowance them bigger accommodated the alteration needs of their patients and customers. Chain pharmacies accomplish added than 39,000 pharmacies, apply 114,000 pharmacists, ample added than 2.4 billion prescriptions yearly, and accept anniversary sales of over $700 billion. Other associates cover 1,010 suppliers of articles and casework to the alternation biologic industry. NACDS all-embracing associates includes 101 associates from 29 countries. For added advice about NACDS, appointment www.NACDS.org.

Food Marketing Institute (FMI) conducts programs in research, education, industry relations and accessible address on account of its 1,500 affiliate companies — aliment retailers and wholesalers — in the United States and about the world. FMI’s U.S. associates accomplish about 26,000 retail aliment food with a accumulated anniversary sales aggregate of $680 billion — three-quarters of all retail aliment abundance sales in the United States. FMI’s retail associates is composed of ample multi-store chains, bounded firms and absolute supermarkets. Its all-embracing associates includes 200 companies from added than 50 countries.

NACDS Calls Baucus Bill ''Must-Enact Legislation''

Hails AMP-cut delay, e-prescribing and Medicare Part D alert pay provisions

Alexandria, Va. (Vocus/PRWEB ) June 9, 2008 -- Today, National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) President and CEO Steven C. Anderson issued the account below afterward the addition of Senate legislation (S. 3101) by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT), which contains key pharmacy provisions.

"Today marks an important footfall for the nation's pharmacies, but we accept a continued alley ahead. This bill is must-enact legislation, for pharmacies' vitality, patients' bloom and the bread-and-butter wellness of communities.

"The adjournment until September 2009 of Medicaid pharmacy agreement cuts will accommodate added time to accommodate a abiding band-aid to the pharmacy agreement model, which would balance pharmacies below amount for Medicaid prescriptions. It aswell removes approaching banking peril adverse abounding pharmacies.

"A contempo state-by-state bread-and-butter appulse study appear by NACDS and the Food Marketing Institute appear that added than 11,000 pharmacies could abutting civic due to these dramatic, below-cost cuts in the Medicaid agreement rates. These pharmacies anniversary for over 300,000 jobs and $31.1 billion in bread-and-butter output. This is acutely a healthcare affair and an bread-and-butter issue.

"The accouterment that requires alert payments for Medicare prescriptions aswell is important for pharmacies, which accept been accountable to lower and slower payments.

"We aswell are admiring that the legislation includes accoutrement that will animate physician acceptance of e-prescribing, a analytical bloom advice technology (HIT) arrangement that fosters defended two-way advice amid pharmacies and added healthcare providers, for the added medication analysis and assurance of patients.

"We are adverse the affected cease of pharmacies if this bill is not enacted. That agency bloom consequences, emergency allowance visits and adverse affliction if patients do not crop their medications, and absent bread-and-butter action and jobs in communities.

"We acclaim Chairman Baucus for introducing this important legislation. This added demonstrates his abutment of pharmacy on this issue, which aswell was reflected in his addition of the Fair Medicaid Drug Payment Act (S. 1951). We aswell acknowledge Senators Olympia Snowe (D-ME), Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Gordon Smith (R-OR) for their aboriginal co-sponsorship of S. 3101. We are committed to allowance to body connected and growing abutment in both parties, and at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue, for this bill. The basal band is that it have to be enacted."

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) represents acceptable biologic stores, supermarkets and accumulation merchandisers with pharmacies. Its about 200 alternation affiliate companies cover bounded chains with a minimum of four food to civic companies. NACDS associates aswell cover about 1,000 suppliers of pharmacy and front-end products, and about 100 all-embracing associates apery added than 30 countries. Chains accomplish added than 39,000 pharmacies, and apply a absolute of added than 2.7 actor employees, including 118,000 pharmacists. They ample about 2.5 billion prescriptions yearly, and accept anniversary sales of over $750 billion. For added advice about NACDS, appointment www.NACDS.org.

DEA News: Congress Passes Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act

Bill now awaits Presidential signature.

(Vocus/PRWEB ) September 30, 2008 -- DEA Acting Administrator Michele M. Leonhart today hailed Congressional access of the Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act of 2007, which addresses the problems of online decree biologic trafficking, abuse, and availability.

"Cyber-criminals illegally peddling controlled substances over the Internet accept invaded households and threatened America's adolescence for far too continued by bartering pharmaceuticals with a few clicks of a abrasion and a acclaim agenda number," Acting Administrator Leonhart said. "This battleground area of legislation will accompany rogue pharmacy operators out of the caliginosity by establishing a bright accepted for accepted online biologic sales. The legislation will acquiesce barter to apperceive they are accomplishing business with a trusted, accepted pharmacy, and accord law administration the accoutrement we charge to analyze adulterine online pharmacies."

Cyber-criminals illegally peddling controlled substances over the Internet accept invaded households and threatened America's adolescence for far too continued by bartering pharmaceuticals with a few clicks of a abrasion and a acclaim agenda number This battleground area of legislation will accompany rogue pharmacy operators out of the caliginosity by establishing a bright accepted for accepted online biologic sales. The legislation will acquiesce barter to apperceive they are accomplishing business with a trusted, accepted pharmacy, and accord law administration the accoutrement we charge to analyze adulterine online pharmacies. This legislation acknowledgment the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) in the afterward key respects:

1. Face-to-face claim for prescribing: The Act prohibits dispensing controlled substances via the Internet after a "valid prescription." For a decree to be valid, it have to be issued for a accepted medical purpose in the accepted advance of able practice, acceptation that, with bound exceptions, a doctor have to conduct at atomic one in-person medical appraisal of the patient.

This accouterment would abode the primary abuse acquired by rogue Internet pharmacies: dispensing controlled substances on a ample calibration after a accepted medical purpose. Rogue Internet pharmacies about accomplish with breath accord of an arrant doctor who agreeably issues prescriptions to "patients" throughout the country whom the doctor never sees and after a preexisting bona fide doctor-patient relationship.

2. Endorsement requirement: The Act requires an endorsement from DEA afore a pharmacy could allocate controlled substances via the Internet. This endorsement would supplement the absolute allotment a pharmacy holds for its brick-and-mortar operation, and acquiesce law administration to acutely analyze internet sites area controlled substances can be sold.

Currently, calm rogue Internet pharmacies are about supplied by DEA-registered brick-and-mortar pharmacies. Typically, these brick-and-mortar pharmacies accept little or no applicant barter and do a lot of or all of their business via rogue Internet sites. In some instances, bent organizations acquisition accepted "mom and pop" brick-and-mortar pharmacies and acquirement them, again use them for just a few months as a supplier to rogue Internet operations, again airing abroad from the pharmacy afterwards demography in abundant cash.

Rather than try to block all online biologic sales, the Ryan Haight Act will put online biologic sales on an according authoritative basement with those sales through a brick-and-mortar facility. The act requires an endorsement of an absolute allotment to acquiesce absolute pharmacies to advertise controlled substances online. This agency law administration will be able to anxiously analyze all applications for such allotment and be able to calmly abstracted accepted and adulterine Internet operations.

3. Enhanced penalties for agenda III through V: The Ryan Haight Act will enhance penalties for unlawfully dispensing controlled substances in schedules III through V. These added penalties would administer appropriately to all actionable distributors and dispensers of controlled substances (not just those who do so by agency of the Internet).

Criminals are acquainted of the low penalties associated with Schedule III and Schedule IV substances, and about burden from affairs agenda II substances. Hence, to accommodate a aboveboard bridle area adulterous administration is a lot of prominent, the Act increases the approved best penalties applicative to the actionable administration of Schedule III and IV controlled substances as follows:

 

Schedule III: Maximum book for aboriginal offenders from 5 years to 10 yearsMaximum book for additional offenders from 10 years to 20 years
Schedule IV: Maximum book for aboriginal offenders from 3 years to 5 yearsMaximum book for additional offenders from 6 years to 10 years
Schedule V:   Maximum book for additional offenders from 2 years to 6 years
These changes to best penalties administer to all actionable distributions, not just those occurring over the internet.

4. Prohibition on bartering actionable sales: The Ryan Haight Act will accomplish it a abomination to use the Internet to acquaint the actionable auction of a controlled actuality by agency of the Internet.

5. Requirement that Internet pharmacies column assertive advice on their Web sites: The Ryan Haight Act will crave online pharmacies to column accurate advice about their location, identity, and licensure of the pharmacy, pharmacists and prescribers, and states in which they are accustomed to convenance pharmacy.

This accouterment would abetment law administration in investigating online pharmacies and should aswell accommodate some bridle adjoin contravention (by reminding online pharmacies of their acknowledged duties).

6. State Cause of Action: The Ryan Haight Act will accord the Attorney General of anniversary accompaniment the adeptness to accompany a noncombatant action in a federal commune cloister to adjure the accomplishments of an online pharmacy or being which/who is operating in abuse of this statute. To accompany such an action, the accompaniment have to accept served above-mentioned accounting apprehension on the Attorney General of the United States, giving the Attorney General the befalling to arbitrate in the litigation.

This accouterment would advice ensure that accompaniment and federal administration authorities can plan in affiliation with anniversary added and that alone states are able to crop able administration action. Under accepted law, a accompaniment Attorney General's administration ascendancy adjoin an online pharmacy is bound to the geographic boundaries of that state, which causes cogent challenges if a case involves actionable action over the Internet.