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Groups Such as the Texas Pharmacy Association and 'Pharmacy Choice and Access Now' Are Concerned about Texas' Current Implementation of a Medicaid Managed-Care Model for Pharmacy Services
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(OPEN):
TEXAS PHARMACY-GROUPS ARE VOICING CONCERN ABOUT THE STATE'S CURRENT
IMPLEMENTATION OF A MEDICAID MANAGED-CARE MODEL FOR
PHARMACY-SERVICES--SAYING THAT IT WOULD HAVE A DEVASTATING IMPACT ON
THEIR CUSTOMERS AND BUSINESSES. RECENTLY, PHARMACY-OWNERS FROM
THROUGHOUT TEXAS TRAVELED TO AUSTIN--TO TESTIFY THAT A DRAMATIC
REDUCTION IN REIMBURSEMENT-RATES FOR PHARMACY-SERVICES TO
MEDICAID-PATIENTS WOULD RESULT IN BOTH PHARMACY-CLOSURES AND LOST
JOBS--WHICH WOULD, IN TURN, RESTRICT ACCESS TO VITAL MEDICATIONS.
TAMMY GRAY IS AN INDEPENDENT PHARMACY-OWNER IN BUDA ["BYOO-DUH";
AS IN "BEAUTY"]...
(GRAY):
"THE 'TEXAS
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES' NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND THAT
SUCH SEVERE CUTS IN REIMBURSEMENT-RATES WOULD REDUCE ACCESS TO VITAL
MEDICATIONS--AND OTHER PHARMACY-SERVICES--FOR MEDICAID-PATIENTS.
THE RECENT TESTIMONY BY TEXAS PHARMACY-OWNERS SHOWS, FIRSTHAND, THE
TERRIBLE IMPACT [THAT] THE MOVE WOULD HAVE ON MEDICAID-BENEFICIARIES,
PHARMACIES, AND INDEED ALL TEXANS. OUR LEADERS MUST ACT TO PREVENT
THE LOSS OF THOUSANDS OF JOBS, AND THE CLOSURE OF NUMEROUS
PHARMACIES--WHICH WOULD, IN TURN, RESULT IN THE LOSS OF ACCESS TO LOCAL
PHARMACIES, FOR PATIENTS WHO NEED THEM MOST."
(CLOSE):
LEGISLATION THAT WAS PASSED BY THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE THIS
YEAR AUTHORIZED THE MOVE OF PHARMACY-SERVICES INTO MANAGED-CARE, IN
2012. UNDER THE MANAGED-CARE MODEL, PHARMACY-REIMBURSEMENTS COULD
BE CUT BY AS MUCH AS 80-PERCENT. FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT
"R-X-PERT"-DOT-ORG; THAT'S "R-X-P-E-R-T"-DOT-ORG.
