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Health & Medicine
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(122 seconds)
-- How Will You Use This Story? --
(OPEN):
RECENTLY, TWO OF AMERICA'S LARGEST "PHARMACY BENEFIT
MANAGEMENT"-COMPANIES--"EXPRESS SCRIPTS" AND "MEDCO
HEALTH SOLUTIONS"--ANNOUNCED A PLANNED MERGER.
"PRESERVE COMMUNITY PHARMACY ACCESS NOW!" IS A COALITION OF
CONSUMERS, BUSINESSES, AND COMMUNITY-BASED PHARMACISTS THAT'S INFORMING
BOTH THE PUBLIC AND POLICYMAKERS ABOUT WHAT IT SAYS ARE THE RISKS TO
CONSUMERS THAT THIS MERGER WOULD CREATE. FORMER CONGRESSWOMAN,
EVA [LONG "E"; AS IN "EVE"] CLAYTON, IS THE CHAIR
FOR "PRESERVE COMMUNITY PHARMACY ACCESS NOW!"...
(CLAYTON):
"'PHARMACY
BENEFIT MANAGEMENT'-COMPANIES--AMERICA'S HEALTHCARE-SYSTEM'S
MIDDLEMEN--ALREADY HAVE A POWERFUL AND UNFAIR ADVANTAGE, WHEN IT COMES
TO SETTING PRESCRIPTION-MEDICINE PRICES AND REIMBURSEMENT-RATES FOR
COMMUNITY-BASED PHARMACIES. THE MERGER BETWEEN TWO OF THESE
MIDDLEMEN--'EXPRESS SCRIPTS' AND 'MEDCO'--WILL CREATE A MEGA-'PHARMACY
BENEFIT MANAGEMENT'-COMPANY WITH EXCESSIVE CONTROL OVER THE HEALTHCARE
OF TENS-OF-MILLIONS OF AMERICANS. THIS MERGER WILL LIMIT
OUR ACCESS TO--AND CHOICE OF--PHARMACIES. AMERICANS ALREADY FACE
ENOUGH CHALLENGES, INCLUDING RECEIVING EQUAL AND AFFORDABLE ACCESS TO
QUALITY HEALTHCARE--AND THIS IS PARTICULARLY TRUE FOR LOW-INCOME- AND
MINORITY-AMERICANS. CREATING A GIANT HEALTHCARE-SYSTEM
MIDDLEMAN--BY MERGING 'EXPRESS SCRIPTS' AND 'MEDCO'--WILL HURT QUALITY,
RAISE PRICES, AND LIMIT ACCESS TO OUR TRUSTED COMMUNITY-PHARMACISTS.
THIS IS SIMPLY NOT IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF CONSUMERS, PATIENTS, OR
HEALTHCARE IN AMERICA. CONGRESS AND THE OBAMA-ADMINISTRATION MUST
STAND UP FOR AMERICANS--AND OPPOSE THE 'EXPRESS SCRIPTS'/'MEDCO'-MERGER."
(CLOSE):
FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT
"PRESERVING-COMMUNITY-PHARMACY"-DOT-COM.
