Forced to Use Mail Order for Your Prescriptions!

OSEEGIB voted on August 19, 2011 to change the pharmacy benefit for maintenance drugs dispensed in 90 day supplies. Participants must use the plan’s PBM – Medco mail order facility or select retail maintenance network pharmacies or experience a severe copayment penalty. The average copayment penalty is over $40.00 for maintenance brand name drugs after the third fill of the prescription.
Our pharmacies were given the opportunity to participate in the 90 day retail maintenance contract, but at rates below our acquisition costs to provide the drug. This, in effect, became a defacto mail order mandate. OSEEGIB’s Medco claims this will save $8.8 million dollars which is needed to enable the plan to maintain the same premium levels.
PPOk, which is a provider organization and represents over 450 pharmacies in Oklahoma, has proposed a plan that will save significantly more than $8.8 million, maintains access to the pharmacy of your choice, provides a comprehensive network that will effectively eliminate copayment penalties, and allow OSEEGIB to maintain premiums for state teachers and state employees. The plan provides significant discounts for brand name and generic drugs for all prescriptions, not just for maintenance drugs.
The implementation of the current plan will drastically impact our businesses and will have a negative economic impact of over $75 million annually to the state of Oklahoma. It is estimated that over 89 rural retail pharmacies will be at a high risk of going out of business. For others, it will result in lost jobs, lost wages and lost taxes.
Local community pharmacies have a long history of supporting their communities by donating to education projects, team sports, year book sponsorships, and other community organizations. We most likely will not be able to continue this financial support to our communities. When is the last time communities received a check from the Mail Order pharmacy in New Jersey!
We ask – why would OSEEGIB intentionally do something to hurt our communities and businesses? Sending business to out of state mail order is bad business for the state of Oklahoma. We have a “Community Pharmacy Proposal” that will solve the problem.
We urge our legislators and OSEEGIB representatives to support the “Community Pharmacy Proposal” and allow us to continue providing the services that our patients seek and deserve.