WASHINGTON, Dec. 10, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Voters
would rather reduce Medicaid spending by better managing pharmacy
benefits rather than cutting benefits for patients or payments to
doctors and hospitals, according to a new poll commissioned by the
Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA).
This poll comes on the heels of a new state-by-state economic
analysis released by The Lewin Group showing that Medicaid uses
fewer generic drugs and pays higher pharmacy costs than other
programs. The report also finds that Medicaid pharmacy could
save more than $30 billion over the next decade by transitioning
from the current approach used by state Medicaid fee-for-service
(FFS) programs to the more efficient approaches used by Medicare
Part D plans, Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs), and the
commercial sector, including typical state employee
plans.
“This poll shows Congress and the Governors how to reduce
billions in Medicaid spending without harming patients or inciting
a voter backlash. Voters don’t want Medicaid to pay
pharmacies more and use fewer generics than other programs,” said
PCMA President and CEO Mark Merritt.
Key Findings from the Ayres, McHenry & Associates,
Inc. survey include:
- By an 80 to 15 percent margin, voters don’t want Medicaid to
pay drugstores more for prescription drugs than private plans
pay. - Voters support reducing spending on Medicaid, provided
benefits are not cut for patients in the program. Voters
support reducing spending on Medicaid by a 63 to 25 percent margin
“if it did not require cutting benefits for patients in the
program.” A plurality of voters opposes reducing spending on
Medicaid (49 to 36 percent) “if it meant reducing benefits for
patients in the program or allowing fewer people to participate in
the program.” - Voters find approaches to cutting Med
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