Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, the leading PBM trade group, claimed the number of independent pharmacies has actually grown. “Over the last 10 years, the number of U.S. independent pharmacies has increased by nearly 2,000 stores of 8%,” PCMA said in a written statement to the Washington Examiner. “That represents a stable — if not growing — market for independent pharmacies in this country. A healthy independent pharmacy market and strong partnership with PBMs helps to lower prescription drug costs, create competition, coordinate better care, reduce medication errors, and increase medication adherence — all of which is squarely in the interest of pharmacies, patients, and the health care system.”
PCMA pointed to a blog post written by CEO JC Scott, which said PBMs are “voluntarily paying dispensing fees for these drugs, which are not technically covered by Medicare and other insurance,” and “most PBMs are paying standard or Medicaid-level” fees.
JC Scott, the President & CEO of the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA), which represents pharmacy benefit managers, said PBMs are “voluntarily paying dispensing fees for these drugs, which are not technically covered by Medicare and other insurance.”
Benefit managers will likely revise fees, but are looking for the government to provide more direction on what the fees should be, said JC Scott, chief executive of the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, the trade group for pharmacy-benefit managers.
PCMA pointed to a blog post written by CEO JC Scott, which said PBMs are “voluntarily paying dispensing fees for these drugs, which are not technically covered by Medicare and other insurance,” and “most PBMs are paying standard or Medicaid-level” fees.
The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, which represents the pharmacy middlemen that help decide how a drug will be covered by insurance, said in an email that its members are “stepping up to support the government’s efforts” to provide effective Covid-19 treatments and that they are “making voluntary payments to pharmacies in order to maintain appropriate access to the medications for patients.”
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