E-DRUG: Pharmacy lobby opposes survey regarding Medicaid prices
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From Kaiser Health News, Aug. 12, 2010:
referencing original article from The Hill:
Pharmacies, drugstores object to Medicaid price transparency effort
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/medicaid/113811-pharmacies-drugstores-object-to-medicaid-price-transparency-effort
The pharmacy and drugstore lobbies are strongly objecting to a new effort by the federal government to gather more data on drug prices in the Medicaid program.
The groups say the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) exceeded its legal authority when it recently put out a request for proposal requiring a "nationwide survey of consumer purchase prices" for drugs at retail pharmacies that participate in Medicaid.
"CMS does not have the authority to post individual (retail survey prices), and is only authorized by (the health reform law) to post an 'average retail survey price'," the groups write in a letter sent Friday to Cindy Mann, director of the CMS Center for Medicaid, CHIP and Survey & Certification. The letter, obtained by The Hill, is signed by the American Pharmacists Association, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, the National Community Pharmacists Association and the Food Marketing Institute.
"Furthermore," the letter continues, "we are greatly troubled by (a requirement in the request for proposal) which asks a contractor to collect and disclose wholesale prices that pharmacies pay to purchase drugs. We have identified no legal authority for CMS to collect and distribute pharmacy acquisition data."...............
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Joana Ramos, MSW
Cancer Resources & Advocacy
Seattle WA USA
+1-206-229-2420
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