ARLINGTON, Va. — In a show of solidarity, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS), the Washington State Pharmacy Association (WSPA) and the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) welcomed a recent court decision that confirmed the pharmacy reimbursement plan for the state of Washington violates Medicaid rules. The pharmacy groups are also urging the
A new report on the cost of dispensing prescription medications brings into sharp focus the difficult economic challenges faced by retail pharmacy operators. It should come as no surprise that the study — conducted by Abt Associates and the MPI Group for the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, the National Community Pharmacists Association and
ARLINGTON, Va.— Rolling back assurances that Medicaid patients have appropriate health care access in each state would jeopardize health and increase costs, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) told the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in official comments. NACDS’ comments take issue with a proposed rule that would repeal the approach
WOONSOCKET, R.I .— New research from CVS Health shows that state Medicaid programs that use a Managed Care Organization (MCO) and a contracted pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) to administer prescription drug coverage have significantly lower overall drug costs than those states that manage their own formulary. Further, researchers found that when states switched to managing
Routine monitoring of medication adherence is one of the Medicaid programs that must be included under a new law passed by Congress in response to the opioid epidemic. The recently passed opioid legislation makes improvements in treatment capacity for Medicaid patients. However, the legislation has significance for the pharmacy industry because it directs the Department
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has issued guidance that opens the door to work requirements for Medicaid recipients, a major change in the 50-year-old program offering a safety net for Americans living in or near poverty. The White House touted the move for Medicaid work requirements as “making a positive and lasting difference” in the
The January 20, 2017, inauguration of President Trump as the nation’s 45th president is certain to bring with it changes in the health care environment, which may impact pharmacy in a variety of ways. As important as the new administration, however, is the fact that a “unified” government will take over in Washington, with Republicans
WASHINGTON — Four pharmacy organizations, including the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, have asked the incoming White House administration and congressional leaders to maintain Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries’ pharmacy access. “Policies that reduce local pharmacy access lead to poorer health outcomes, ultimately resulting in increased future health care costs,” the associations wrote to President-elect
ARLINGTON, Va. – The National Association of Chain Drug Stores hailed the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ inclusion of network adequacy standards in the Medicaid and CHIP Managed Care final rule. NACDS said Wednesday that the final rule, released on April 21, would improve patient access to care in Medicaid and the Children’s Health
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration continues to alter the Affordable Care Act and propose changes to Medicaid funding as it seeks to increase the number of Americans who have health insurance and slow the pace of medical cost inflation. In a nudge to get more healthy people into the insurance pool, the government increased the
After years of political and legal wrangling, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued its final rule on Covered Outpatient Drugs, which governs reimbursement to retail pharmacies for generic medications dispensed under Medicaid. The history of the regulation goes all the way back to the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA), which
WASHINGTON — Health care spending in the United States last year exceeded $3 trillion as five years of slow growth was replaced by the Affordable Care Act’s expansion of Medicaid and private health insurance coverage. Prescription drug prices accelerated as well. Health care spending grew faster than the economy in 2014, and the federal share
WASHINGTON — Slow growth is foreseen for health insurance enrollment through the Affordable Care Act exchanges, the Obama administration said this month. Coverage by the end of 2016 will barely exceed current levels, the administration said. Sign-ups during the ACA’s upcoming open enrollment season will bring the number of covered individuals to 10 million, up
WASHINGTON — Supporters of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) hailed a recent Census Bureau report that the percentage of people without health insurance coverage declined by 2.9 percentage points last year, from 13.3% to 10.4%. That’s a reduction of 8.8 million people, the biggest one-year decline ever, and part of the reason
