WASHINGTON, March 24, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The New
York State Senate’s budget includes a legislative proposal that
would take away private and public sector payers’ ability to
provide lower cost home delivery options for chronic medications,
the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) said
today.
“Everyone knows that mail-service pharmacies make prescriptions
more affordable for consumers, employers, and unions,” said PCMA
President and CEO Mark Merritt. “This proposal would enrich
independent drugstores at the expense of patients and put New York
in an even deeper budgetary hole than it is already in.”
Home delivery of prescription medications is a benefit for
consumers who appreciate the added convenience and access to
private counseling from a trained clinician seven days a week, 24
hours a day. Numerous government and peer-reviewed studies have
confirmed that mail-service pharmacies lower costs for consumers
and payers, make far fewer errors, and increase medication
adherence for those suffering from chronic conditions.
- U.S. Government Accountability
Office(GAO): In January
2003, the GAO examined the value provided by PBMs participating in
the federal employees’ health plan. For prescription drugs
dispensed through mail-order pharmacies, the average mail-order
price was about 27 percent below the average cash-price paid by
consumers for a brand name at a retail pharmacy and 53 percent
below the average cash-price paid for generic drugs. - The Federal Trade Commission (FTC): The FTC
concluded in a 2005 report that PBM-owned mail-order pharmacies
offer lower prices on prescription drugs than retail pharmacies and
are very effective at capitalizing on opportunities to dispense
generic medications. - Pharmacotherapy: Official Journal of the American College
of Clinical Pharmacy:<‘/>”/>
