ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Community Pharmacists Association has called on the Department of Justice to block UnitedHealth Group’s acquisition of data giant Change Healthcare after meeting recently with agency lawyers to warn that the merger would create an unfair competitive advantage for a company that is already dominant. The DOJ is currently investigating whether the $8
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Registration is open for the National Community Pharmacists Association’s 2021 Annual Convention, taking place Oct. 9-12, in Charlotte, N.C. Among the exciting sessions and dynamic speakers will be Betsy Allen-Manning, a best-selling author and founder of Motivate YOU Enterprises, and Josh Linkner, chairman and co-founder of an innovation research, training, and consulting firm
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Community Pharmacists Association is using social media, digital advertising, and a grassroots effort to push congressional budget makers to include a provision eliminating pharmacy benefit manager spread pricing under the Medicaid program and reimburse pharmacies in a fairer and more transparent manner. “PBM spread pricing costs federal and state taxpayers
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Community Pharmacists Association issued the following statement today on behalf of CEO B. Douglas Hoey in response to President Biden’s “Path out of the Pandemic” plan: “Community pharmacy has been on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. Local pharmacies have administered tens of
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Community Pharmacists Association strongly supports the inclusion of language to reform pharmacy direct and indirect remuneration fees in Medicare Part D and eliminate spread pricing in Medicaid managed care within the budget reconciliation package being developed by policymakers. Karry La Violette, NCPA senior vice president of Government Affairs, emphasized to
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — National Community Pharmacists Association CEO B. Douglas Hoey, pharmacist, MBA issued the following statement today in response to President Biden’s drug pricing remarks: “The president’s plan takes a swing at lowering drug prices and whiffs by ignoring the most glaring cause of high drug costs. Pharmacy benefit managers and their insurer-partner/owners continue to
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Community Pharmacists Association is urging legislators negotiating an infrastructure package to include language to prevent abusive pharmacy benefit manager spread pricing and related practices in Medicaid managed care, improve transparency, and reasonably reimburse pharmacies. Currently, PBMs can overbill Medicaid managed care programs, under-reimburse pharmacies for medications dispensed, and retain the
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Community Pharmacists Association has urged the West Virginia Offices of the Insurance Commissioner to watch out for pharmacy benefit manager “games” when developing rules to implement reform legislation approved by Republican Gov. Jim Justice (R). Among other things, HB 2263 will implement reporting requirements to ensure transparency; prevent PBMs from
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — As part of what the Federal Trade Commission said will be the first in a series of monthly meetings opening its work to the public, National Community Pharmacists Association General Counsel Matthew Seiler, RN, Esq., spoke to the commission at today’s open meeting about pharmacy benefit managers and their anticompetitive practices harming patients and
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — National Community Pharmacists Association CEO B. Douglas Hoey today participated in a roundtable discussion with Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and leaders of several other provider organizations to discuss the industry’s expanding role in health care. Hoey covered four major priorities for independent pharmacists: Eliminating retroactive price concessions known as
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — On Tuesday, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ Health Insurance and Managed Care (B) Committee approved a charge for its Pharmacy Benefit Manager Regulatory Issues (B) Subgroup to develop a white paper addressing PBMs’ role in the prescription drug supply chain and examining state provisions addressing various PBM practices. Additionally, the subgroup
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Hundreds of organizations representing community pharmacies, grocery store pharmacies, specialty pharmacies, chain pharmacies, patient groups, buying groups, health systems, wholesalers, and business groups are making an all-out push for legislation that would stop the abuse of pharmacy price concessions charged by third-party middlemen, which have increased 91,500% in recent years. The Pharmacy
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Registration is now open for the National Community Pharmacists Association’s 2021 Annual Convention, taking place Oct. 9-12, in Charlotte, N.C. After a year when the COVID-19 pandemic caused the association’s last Convention to take place virtually, NCPA president Brian Caswell says this year’s Convention is a great opportunity to reconnect with neighborhood
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) told a Senate committee today that reimbursements to local pharmacies should be no lower than the Medicaid fee-for-service program. In a letter to the New York State Senate Committee on Health, NCPA threw its weight behind SB 6603. The bill, introduced by Sen. James Skoufis (D), would require reimbursements to
