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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Marion Berry (AR-01), a former pharmacist, praised the Senate's passage of H.R. 6331, the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008. The Medicare bill, which passed both the House and Senate with veto-proof margins, included Berry's bill H.R. 1474, the Fair and Speedy Treatment (FAST) of Medicare Prescription Drug Claims Act of 2007. The legislation will help keep community pharmacies from going out of business by mandating that insurance companies provide prompt reimbursement under the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit.
"The administration of the Medicare Part D program has been a bad prescription for both patients and community pharmacists," said Berry. "This law put family-owned pharmacies at risk of closing, often leaving patients without their only medical professional available in the area. Congress has finally passed legislation that will provide a remedy to a problem that has crippled community pharmacies for too long."
Since the implementation of Medicare Part D, more than 1,152 community pharmacies have been forced to close their doors. In addition, only 50% of claims are paid by insurers within 30 days. While pharmacists often wait over a month for reimbursement, they must pay their wholesaler every two weeks, putting them in often extreme financial hardship.
This bill mandates that clean claims submitted electronically be paid within 14 days, and all other clean claims will be paid within 30 days. Pharmacists must also be promptly notified if there are problems with submitted claims.
The FAST Act was included as part of the larger bill called the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008. This, along with Berry's provisions, prevents the 10.1% reduction in Medicare reimbursement rates, enhances Medicare preventive and mental health benefits, improves and extends programs for low-income Medicare beneficiaries, and extends expiring provisions for rural and other providers.
"It is no secret that our health care system is broken," said Berry. "As one of the wealthiest countries in the world, it is a shame we cannot provide Americans with better and cheaper health care. Too many Arkansans are living paycheck to paycheck and worry about becoming seriously ill because they know they cannot afford the care they would need – this is wrong."
He continued, "The passage of this bill is one small step we are taking to remedy our nation's health care crisis. We still have a long way to go, but this is an encouraging sign for more health care reform for all Americans, not just the wealthy or privileged."
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