NACDS letter urges Congress to support Medicare/Medicaid bills

ALEXANDRIA, Va. The National Association of Chain Drug Stores has sent a letter to Congress urging legislators to support policies that include the Fair Medicaid Drug Payment Act and the Medicare Electronic Medication and Safety Protection. By supporting the policies, NACDS hopes this well help “ensure adequate pharmacy reimbursement, preserve patient access to medications and expedite the adoption of electronic prescribing.”

According to NACDS, on top of saving money, the electronic Medicare legislation would help to increase the notion of patients taking their medications as prescribed, which prevents more costly forms of care such as emergency room visits and catastrophic care.

In relation to the Fair Medicaid Drug Payment Act, NACDS states that it would be a solution to prevent devastating cuts in reimbursements to pharmacies for generic prescription drugs. The organization even wrote that one estimate stated that the cuts would force about 12,000 pharmacies to go out of business.

“Congress has a tremendous opportunity to advance vital e-prescribing and to realize its potential. At the same time, Congress can save the budget dollars that are needed to reverse harmful Medicaid pharmacy reimbursement cuts that may force reduced pharmacy access, particularly in rural and urban areas,” said NACDS president and chief executive officer Steve Anderson. “Though these bills are not often mentioned in the same breath, NACDS contends that the budget realities and healthcare needs of the day make them complementary pieces of legislation.”