From September 29, 2022 post.
Congressman Buddy Carter (R-GA) and Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) sent a letter today to Seileen Mullen, the Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, seeking answers about the recent announcement that a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM), Express Scripts, will strip pharmaceutical access away from TRICARE patients and their families, a move that presents a clear conflict of interest by financially benefitting pharmacies the PBM owns.
Approximately 15,000 local pharmacies will be forced out of the TRICARE network, impacting nearly 400,000 beneficiaries’ access to their local pharmacy altogether. The letter also notes that 2022 pharmacy contracts will expire on October 24, rather than the end of the year.
In the letter, the Members wrote:
“Pharmacists continue to be one of the most accessible health care providers in the United States. Over 90 percent of Americans live within five miles of a community pharmacy, and 76.5 percent of pharmacies in rural areas are independent community pharmacies. As you know, in addition to dispensing medications and vaccines, community pharmacies provide services that lead to better health outcomes, lower overall administrative fees, and valuable in-person consultations with a health care provider.”
Carter and Cotton were joined on the letter by 99 of their colleagues.
Read the full letter here.
Original source can be found here.
