As forced mail-order pharmacy continues, some give up hope while others appear to have found price gouging. 

The Columbus Dispatch published an article yesterday that turns the spotlight on the issues with the Express Scripts and the Veterans Administration.

These following issues also cited in the article occur when any of the big 3 PBMs handle our medications as we are forced to mail-order:

• Price gouging that is often concealed by a low copay.
• Life-threatening delays and a slow prior authorization process.
• Medications that we could at one time get in 15 minutes is now taking days to over a week.
• The low reimbursements to our local pharmacies from the PBM (CVS Caremark Optum RX and Express Scripts), who owns their own pharmacies that they reimburse much more.
• Patients who are elderly or with chronic conditions who could benefit from a face to face relationship with a pharmacist have this crucial option removed from their coverage removed.
• Sadly, as confirmed by the pharmacists in the article, some are giving up hope and stopping their medications or treatments completely. 

When some give up, they are not just giving up their medications. Some are giving up the fight for their lives. 

Please use your voice to speak to your legislators. 

We need more patients and taxpayers like Charles Gallagher who per the article is “a retired naval officer living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, is one of those guys who pores over his monthly explanations of benefits — not because the money is coming out of his pocket, but because he’s trying to protect the taxpayer. He noticed that Express Scripts has billed Tricare for omeprazole, a generic heartburn medication, for a 90-day supply at rates ranging from $8.51 to $666 since 2017.”

This medication is almost always under $15 dollars.

At the end of the article Charles states, “he thinks he knows what the game is: “I’m absolutely sure they’re taking advantage of us.”

Charles had a low copay. We must realize that a low copay doesn’t mean that we will save money if the PBMs mail-order pharmacy is reimbursing themselves at least over 44 times the costs of a drug. That price gouging will be passed on to every taxpayer.

Please look at your EOB’s on your pharmacy benefits manager's website. Then, look up the cost of your drug using this tool. Compare. You may find that pharmacy benefit's managers are reimbursing their owned mail-order or retail pharmacy 10-50+ times higher than the actual cost of the drug.

Charles continues to demand answers. We must demand answers and stop the forcing of mail-order pharmacy. Lack of transparency, choice, and reduced patient care is increasing costs and risking our lives. Please continue to speak to your legislators. 

Thank you, 

Loretta Boesing

Share your story: loretta@uniteforsafemeds.com

Please continue to support our advocacy by making a donation.