Another brave patient and her husband shared their story after discovering massive price-gouging with mail-order pharmacy. The patient was an elderly woman with taxpayer-funded Medicare insurance coverage. The patient and her husband contacted media after they noticed that CVS Caremark reimbursed their affiliated CVS Specialty mail-order pharmacy over $1700 for a medication that they could get locally at a local independent pharmacy for $170. Keep in mind that the patient had a lower copay if they used the mail-order pharmacy. Yet, the patient cared enough to sound the alarm and say, “This is not right.” “They are price-gouging taxpayers.”

The low or $0 copay is often the deception that is used to steer patients into believing that mail-order pharmacy is saving money. If America doesn’t start caring about what is happening behind the curtain, they will continue to see a most rapid decline in pharmaceutical care and healthcare as PBMs like CVS Caremark have merged with health insurers such as CVS-Aetna. CVS has also purchased medical clinics. We will pay more or the same and get less.

For this couple not only did the higher reimbursement to mail-order pharmacy cost taxpayers more, but they will pay more too. Medicare gives patients a larger percentage off of medications up to a certain threshold. For this patient, the threshold was $4000. After $4000, this patient was responsible for a greater percentage of the cost of medications. CVS Caremark reimbursing their own mail-order pharmacy $1700 instead of $170 meant that the patient met the higher threshold earlier and will have to pay a higher cost out of pocket for their medications.

Some patients give up and stop taking their medications once they meet this threshold or what is called the donut hole. This is just another way that forced mail-order pharmacy can be life-threatening.

This is happening across our nation. Billions of medications are being shipped through the mail and many patients are either forced or steered to mail-order pharmacy through a deceptive low copay. Quickly, the amount of price-gouging can become billions. Many states have already found millions being price gouged in the Medicaid system. 

People are discovering that not only is mail-order pharmacy risky but mail-order pharmacy is costing more.

Here is how you can help:

Contact your legislators.

Share your story loretta@uniteforsafemeds.com

If you are in New York, organize a patient group to speak or gain the attention of Governor Coumo who has an anti forced mail-order pharmacy bill that is urgently awaiting his signature.

If you are in Pennsylvania, we need your story for legislators. Please share: loretta@uniteforsafemedications.com

You may also help by Donating to our nonprofit, Unite for Safe Medications

Thank you for your support!