ALEXANDRIA, Va. (May 4, 2017) The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) today announced its support of bipartisan legislation to strengthen pharmacy access for seniors under the Medicare Part D program through increased pharmacy competition. S. 1044, the Ensuring Seniors Access to Local Pharmacies Act of 2017, was introduced by Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). It permits pharmacies located in medically underserved communities to participate in Medicare Part D preferred pharmacy networks if they accept the contract terms and conditions under which other in-network providers operate. This is the companion bill to H.R. 1939, the Ensuring Seniors Access to Local Pharmacies Act of 2017, introduced in the House last month. In response, NCPA CEO B. Douglas Hoey, RPh, MBA, issued the following statement about this bill:
"Seniors' access to prescription drugs is impeded by plan designs that effectively dictate which pharmacy the patient must use, based on exclusionary preferred pharmacy agreements between PBMs and large corporate pharmacies. Independent community pharmacies are not allowed to participate in some of these arrangements, even if they offer to accept the Part D plan's terms and conditions. As a result, Medicare beneficiaries in underserved areas where independent community pharmacies are predominantly located are forced to either travel to an unfamiliar pharmacy or use mail order pharmacies."
"With today's introduction of S. 1044, which mirrors H.R. 1939, we are closer to restoring real pharmacy choice to Medicare. These bills give seniors more access to discounted copays for prescription drugs at their pharmacy of choice, increases competition among pharmacies and Part D drug plans, and produces cost savings for the government and taxpayers. We urge Senators and Representatives to join together in supporting this common-sense legislative solution."
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