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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Marion Berry, the only pharmacist serving in the House of Representatives, joined a bipartisan group of Members at a press conference to discuss issues important to independent pharmacies nationwide. Also in attendance were over 400 community pharmacists from across the country who came to Washington, D.C. for the 40th Annual National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) legislative conference.
"As health care costs continue to skyrocket, hardworking taxpayers are now, more than ever, forced to choose between their medication and putting food on the table," said Berry. "This is wrong. By tackling unfair prescription drug pricing, we are able to pass the savings along to the patient. Also, by reforming our prescription drug policies so that they work to benefit the American people rather than insurance companies, we make further progress in fixing our national healthcare crisis."
The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 made the Average Manufacturers Price (AMP) the new basis for the Medicaid Federal Upper Limit on generic prescription drugs. In 2006, the Government Accountability Office released a study that found that the new AMP based Federal Upper Limit fell, on average, 36% below pharmacy acquisition costs. Operating at this net loss will force pharmacies out of business, resulting in less care available for patients.
Another dilemma facing community pharmacists are slow reimbursements from insurance companies. The University of Texas at Austin’s Center for Pharmacoeconomic Studies’ August 2007 report found that the median percentage of pharmacy claims that took 30 days was 50.1 %, including 17.2 % that took over 60 days. Despite these slow reimbursements, pharmacies typically must pay their suppliers every 15 days.
To fix this problem, Congressman Berry introduced the Fair and Speedy Treatment (FAST) of Medicare Prescription Drug Claims Act of 2007. This bill ensures that clean claims submitted by pharmacies are paid within 14 days if submitted electronically, or within 30 days if submitted otherwise. The FAST Act currently has over 240 sponsors.
"Unfortunately, due to unfair pricing and slow reimbursement, community pharmacists are in danger of losing their livelihood," said Berry. "Community pharmacists are the front line medical professionals who provide services crucial to patients in rural areas like Arkansas' First District. We must do everything in our power to ensure our community pharmacists can keep their doors open and continue to serve the people who need them the most."
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