Generic prescription drugs account for over 80 percent of medications dispensed by community pharmacies, yet there is no transparency into how they are priced in federal health programs by middlemen called pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).
Through hidden maximum allowable cost (MAC) lists, PBMs can overcharge federal health programs while paying much lower reimbursement rates to independent community pharmacies. Policy efforts to reduce the cost of prescription medications in the U.S. have failed to reduce disparities in cost-related underuse.
According to a recent CVS Health poll conducted by Morning Consult found that nearly eight in ten Americans (79 percent) are concerned about prescription drug costs and the impact on their families’ budgets. Little is known about the relationships between pharmacy accessibility, utilization and cost-related underuse of prescription medications among residents of low-income underserved communities.
On average several studies of underserved communities disclosed that approximately 1/3 of residents primarily filled their prescriptions at the pharmacy nearest to their home. Among those who did not use mail order, the median distance traveled from home to the primary pharmacy was 1.2 miles.
Residents whose primary pharmacy was at a community health center or clinic where they usually received care, traveled the furthest but were least likely to report cost-related underuse of their prescription medications. What the study concluded was this: Most residents in underserved communities were not using pharmacies closest to their home to obtain their prescription medications.
According to research recently published in the “Annals of Pharmacotherapy,” only half of medications prescribed for treating acute and chronic conditions are taken as originally recommended. Some patients elect not to fill a prescription or use only a few doses without finishing the course which can lead to hospital readmission, adding to health-care costs. Alternatively, people may not seek medical attention because of the scarcity of primary care clinicians, high out-of-pocket costs, or lack of insurance.
Funding RXLOWCOST.COM™ Imperative will fund our ability to drastically reduce the high medication prescription cost and cost-related underuse in underserved communities.
RXLOWCOST.COM™ Imperative is a cutting-edge equity project, to make prescription medication more affordable. Given the higher unemploment and poverty rates, we created this equity solution for families in underserved communities. It was created in direct response to the harmful effects of systemic health, racial and ethnic disparities, that are reflected in the negative impact of social determinants of health, fragmented services, disjointed care coordination and the administering of disparity-plagued sick-care.
All of which contribute to higher rates of uninsured families, poverty, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, infant mortality, high school drop-out, violence, unemployment, alcohol and drug dependence, incareceration, plus other unmet health needs.
Your investment in our RXLOWCOST.COM™ Imperative will fund our ability to identify the lowest cost available in a 10 to 20 mile radius.
Our ability to advocate for these communities and the general public in providing these services, exist only because caring individuals understand the importance of our RXLOWCOST.COM™ Imperative and care enough to give us their support.
Please allow me to thank you in advance for recognizing the value of what we do and for giving your support.
