This blog is about an article I just read. Here is the link:
Pharmacies unwilling to take loss on insulin for Medicare patients
Poor Mr. Carr. He can't get his insulin filled because his insurance is paying the pharmacy less than what it actually costs. In basic terms, it's like a store buying a shirt from the designer for $50, then selling it to a customer for $10. It doesn't make business sense to practice that way. And it's all because the government has it's greedy and stupid little hands on his healthcare. Don't get me wrong, I am a big supporter for those who are disabled and low income to receive some sort of help for their insurance and healthcare costs, but at least do it the right way.
According to the article, "Medicare has not raised its payment for insulin under Part B since 2003." 2003!! So they think that in 10 years, the price is going to be the same? Excuse me, has anyone in Congress gone to a gas station recently, or even a McDonalds or supermarket? That gas, or Big Mac, or box of cereal cost the same as they did 10 years ago? That house that you live in costs the same today as it did when you originally signed the ownership papers?
It's not just the government sponsored programs that have this issue. The big insurers also do this as well. When I call Caremark to ask them why they are paying me $15 under my cost, they tell me that the pricing schedules and updates run once a month. I'm sorry, is my pharmacy open only once a month? No, I open every day and you should update your freaking pricing files everyday so I can make a profit as well, not only you.
"A Medicare spokeswoman said the price is set in federal law — at 95 percent of the average, wholesale price in effect on Oct. 1, 2003. So it requires Congress to change it,". Great, so this means it will take another 20 years to resolve the issue, in the meantime, Mr. Carr can go into diabetic ketoacidosis and be hospitalized another 50 times and waste more tax money being treated in a hospital.
Maybe the government should open up a pharmacy and provide him with his insulin. Let them pay $100 dollars to buy it from the manufacturer and then let them get reimbursed $75. Then we will see how fast they change their policies.
We have issues like this come up at Goofmart Pharmacy all the time. When telling the Einsteins at corporate about it... they tell us not to sweat it. We get rebates on the back end, we're told.
ReplyDeleteMoral of the story: If you're going to lose money, do it in volume!