Senators urge for Medicaid generic drug reimbursement provision in health-reform bill

ALEXANDRIA, Va. Nine senators are urging Senate majority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to make sure a provision for Medicaid reimbursements for generic drugs stays in the final version of the Senate healthcare-reform bill.

The senators — Tim Johnson, D-S.D., Chris Dodd, D-Conn., Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., Michael Bennet, D-Colo., Tom Udall, D-N.M., Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Robert Casey, D-Pa. — want the conference report of the bill to contain a fix setting Medicaid reimbursements at no less than 175% of the weighted average AMP; the House version would set them at no less than 130%.

The National Community Pharmacists Association heralded the news, saying that reimbursements of less than 175% of the average weighted AMP would be “devastating” for many community pharmacies.

“We very much appreciate that both House and Senate healthcare-reform bills attempt to fix the flawed Medicaid AMP reimbursement system,” NCPA EVP and CEO Bruce Roberts said in a statement. “However, trying to meet halfway between the Senate and House version is an economic disaster for many community pharmacies, especially if they serve a large number of Medicaid patients. But patients will be the ones who will truly suffer by losing access to prescription drug services at their community pharmacy.”