PCMA: New Illinois Medicaid Mandate Gives "Blank Check" to Independent Drugstores

WASHINGTON, April 30, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) released the following statement on Illinois HB 3479:

"Employers, unions, and state health programs hire pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to reduce costs for patients by, among other things, negotiating discounts with drug companies and drugstores. While no payer is required to hire a PBM, they choose to because PBMs typically reduce drug costs by 30 percent.

HB 3479 would grant a 'blank check' to Illinois independent drugstores by requiring higher payments for prescription drugs in Medicaid, while removing incentives to dispense lower-priced, equally effective options for patients. This legislation pads the profit margins of independent drugstores at a time when consumers are concerned about rising health costs, and the state faces serious budget challenges."

Additional special interest legislation (HB 4146) would force the state's employers, unions, and others that provide pharmacy benefits to continue covering expensive brand drugs, even when more affordable, equally effective competing brand drugs become available.

PCMA is the national association representing America's pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). PBMs administer prescription drug plans for more than 266 million Americans who have health insurance from a variety of sponsors including: commercial health plans, self-insured employer plans, union plans, Medicare Part D plans, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), state government employee plans, Medicaid plans, and others.

SOURCE Pharmaceutical Care Management Association

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