If someone likes mail-order, they should be able to use it, but no one should be forced into taking the many risks associated with mail-order pharmacy. I'm going to share with you just a few of the over hundreds of comments from just this week towards mail-order pharmacy.
First, the insurance company's PBM OWNED mail order pharmacy often claims mail-order pharmacy increases adherence, meaning if they ship our medications we will take them, but they ignore the many issues that threaten patients lives.
Please read the comments below (links included)
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LIFE-THREATENING DELAYS "@UPSHelp Please help. Chemo meds supposed to be delivered today! They only need taken off the truck. Very, very important to @KCerniglia ‘s sick father. Make this right. �" https://twitter.com/CJLoomis/status/1079205058871508992
LIFE-THREATENING DELAY "@ExpressRxHelp once again you have failed.A vital medication was to be filled 12/25. Not filled,not notified that u didn’t have it til today.u billed it fraudulently." https://twitter.com/kjgaff/status/1081197619232284673
LACK OF TEMPERATURE MONITORING OR MONITORING OF HOW LONG MEDICATIONS ARE EXPOSED TO EXTREME CONDITIONS "I had insulin prescrips mailed in the LA sun, left on the sidewalk month after month" https://twitter.com/jimearl666/status/1078776539251179521
MAJOR HIPPA VIOLATION "@ExpressScripts I’m not a member but you sent me a prescription by mistake. Somebody should contact me" https://twitter.com/SweepTheLeg20/status/1081253883890946048
THE PRICE GOUGING/OVER CHARGING Went to pick up meds for a family member. @Walgreens and @cvspharmacy it would cost $139 for a single prescription. ONE.
At a local Mom & Pop type pharmacy? 12 bucks. https://twitter.com/SunTzuTech/status/1081354339267026946
FORCED MAIL-ORDER PHARMACY TARGETS OUR MOST VULNERABLE AND WEAK: One person on twitter replied to me after commenting to "unite and fight back." She said "I don't have the mental and physical energy to fight." https://twitter.com/SaraStapleton61/status/1081269397442957312
Many independent & hospital pharmacists are experiencing low reimbursements from the same pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) that force/steer us to their owned mail-order pharmacy. I share some of these on my twitter and facebook pages.
There is about an 80% chance your PBM is Express Scripts, Optum RX, or CVS. PBMs are in charge of determining which pharmacy we can access and how much pharmacies will be reimbursed. It has been noted on many different occasions that if we are lucky enough for the PBM to give us the option to fill our medications at our pharmacist, they reimburse our pharmacist extremely low. It doesn't make sense to reimburse independent pharmacist so poorly when PBMs charge patients a higher copay to use them.
Next, they charge the independent pharmacy sometimes thousands of dollars for one medication in fees called DIR fees. These fees that come after the low reimbursements. Don't assume your independent pharmacy is even able to keep the copay. Sometimes, independent pharmacies must return this amount too! Independent pharmacies need our help and support. I suggest reading the award-winning Side Effects investigation by the Columbus Dispatch who has heroicly brought much of this and many other issues related to PBMs to light. Here is a link to their publications. http://gatehousenews.com/sideeffects/home/site/dispatch.com
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Thank you for learning about and supporting this cause. Please continue to discuss these issues with others who may not know.
Loretta Boesing
Original Petition: https://www.change.org/p/attn-all-legistlatures-state-board-of-pharmacies-ban-mail-order-drug-mandates-from-all-health-insurance-plans-monitor
New website for our cause (still under construction): www.uniteforsafemeds.com
Feel free to share your story: loretta@uniteforsafemeds.com
facebook page: Issues with mail order pharmacy @justamomwholovesherson
Twitter:@BoesingLoretta