Change.org Petition Update (JUL 28, 2022) — To all of our supporters, please read this critical update to learn about this issue.
If you’re a patient with Tricare coverage who wants the option to use your local pharmacy, please share your story: loretta@uniteforsafemedications.com
"TRICARE is the uniformed services health care program for active duty service members (ADSMs), active duty family members (ADFMs), National Guard and Reserve members and their family members, retirees, and retiree family members, survivors, and certain former spouses."
Express Scripts is a pharmacy benefit manager or PBM for Tricare.
Since the most recent Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that was brought forward after outcries of pharmacists, advocacy groups, & patients, PBMs & their lobbyist association PCMA seem to be in a destroy and pillage mode. Our military, their family members, and patients are just collateral damage as PBMs seek to secure as many profits as possible even if that means that those who have served will not be able to use a local pharmacy as many pharmacies make the difficult decision to stop accepting Tricare after the information that I received yesterday.
Yesterday, I reviewed copies of letters from several local pharmacists informing that Express Scripts would be reducing the reimbursement rates by 40%. This would mean that community pharmacists would pay money to be able to service the people that served America. Some pharmacists have stated that this would cause them to “go bankrupt.” Some pharmacists that are veterans themselves said that they “will not be able to fill medications for Tricare members.” Some have stated that the prior drastic cuts caused them to stop servicing members as they had to make a difficult decision to either serve these members or close their doors.
Why is this happening? Billion-dollar corporate pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) like Express Scripts are in a war with the small local pharmacies. Express Scripts owns their own mail order pharmacy that they will often steer patients as they set the copay that patients pay at their competitor’s pharmacy and their pharmacy. Guess which one they often set lower? Their own/Express Scripts. They also see reimbursements to their competitor’s pharmacy. Guess which one often gets paid more? Express Scripts. It was recently revealed that Express Scripts gets a “$17 administration fee for every prescription they distribute.” That doesn’t include other reimbursements. In fact, "Express Scripts delivered unnecessary prescription drugs to military personnel and is bilking the federal government and vendors out of billions of dollars, a whistleblower alleges in a False Claims Act lawsuit."
Many local pharmacies have stated that they would gladly service these men and women who have or are fighting for their country for the $17 that Express Scripts receives & some have even stated they'd fill these prescriptions for less. Instead, the local pharmacists must go in the red due to the monopolization of the industry to provide the best services to those who keep America safe. Many are not even given an option to break even. Some government officials don’t seem to be helping even though the pandemic brought to light the critical importance of local pharmacies to our public health. Then again, the PBMs have merged with insurance companies. They have strong lobbying power.
This is where we need your help. Military and veterans have spoken vocally about the steering to mail order pharmacies causing them pain and suffering when medications are stolen, when delays occur, or when medications are stored improperly during shipping such as in this report where the veteran comments that his meds aren’t working. The VA claimed that the temperatures of the veteran’s eyedrops do not matter until they’re opened. I called the manufacturer. The VA claims are not truthful. The FDA and State Boards do not regulate the temperatures of mail order pharmacies.
This petition is for pharmacy choice, to at least give veterans, military, and every patient in America their choice to receive their medications the safest way. If our pharmacies close due to unfair and unethical reimbursement practices, Express Scripts knows that America won't have a safe option as only corporate retail and mail order pharmacies will survive.
The power of your voice is the tool that we will use to correct this wrongdoing. The FTC investigation is proof that united voices are more powerful than their billion-dollar corporate profits.
Please share your story. If you’re not a Tricare member, please speak to your legislators about this issue. Please feel free to copy and paste what I’ve written to send to your legislators. Add your own words if needed. Our Military members deserve better.
Thank you for your support,
Loretta Boesing