New PCMA Ad on Essential Health Benefits: Small Businesses Oppose Costly Mandates Pushed by Drugstore, Drug Company Lobbies
WASHINGTON, Oct. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With the Institute of Medicine (IOM) releasing its recommendations to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on the "essential benefits" regulations tomorrow, a new ad campaign launched by the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) highlights that small businesses oppose regulations that would allow special interests to raise prescription drug costs.
Small businesses will be among those most affected by the Essential Health Benefit rules, which apply to employers that purchase coverage and have fewer than one hundred employees, as well as qualified health plans in the state exchanges. Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) administer drug benefits for thousands of small businesses throughout America.
Click here to view the new ad.
"Small businesses oppose regulations that increase prescription drug costs and protect special interests. On key issues, small businesses are at odds with the drugstore and drug company lobbies," said PCMA President and CEO Mark Merritt.
A new poll of owners and human resource managers of small businesses with 100 or fewer employees directly impacted by the upcoming Essential Health Benefits regulations found that by a 78 to 11 percent margin, "small businesses should be able to reduce prescription drug costs as much as possible, even if it means drugstores make less profit." Only six percent were interested in knowing how much drugstores are paid.
Small businesses disagree with the drugstore and drug company lobbies on the following issues:
Small businesses want access to plans that exclude expensive drugstores from their networks. 61 percent say it is a good idea to "allow employers to choose lower cost plans that exclude the most expensive drugstores from their coverage network."
Seventy-four percent oppose mandating across-the-board, low co-pays for high-priced drugs. By a 2-1 margin, small businesses think it would be better to require drug companies to offer case-by-case price discounts to those in need.
Small businesses want to hold drugstores accountable. 88 percent say it is a good idea to "allow plans to audit drugstores that appear to be overcharging."
Small businesses want access to plans that encourage delivery of prescription drugs through the mail. 79 percent say it is a good idea to "allow plans to offer discounts that encourage employees to get prescriptions by mail."
PCMA represents the nation’s pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), which improve affordability and quality of care through the use of electronic prescribing (e-prescribing), generic alternatives, mail-service pharmacies, and other innovative tools for 210-plus million Americans.
SOURCE Pharmaceutical Care Management Association
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