NACDS Urges Clarifications, Enhancements in Two Pharmacy Reimbursement Provisions in House Healthcare Reform Le...(merce United States House of Representat...),Health

The Honorable George Miller
Chairman
Committee on Education and Labor
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chairmen:

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) appreciates your efforts to improve our nation's healthcare system and shares the goal of reforming the healthcare system to reduce costs, improve quality, and increase access. Millions of Americans rely on their local pharmacy every day for prescription drugs and pharmacy services. We are committed to advancing healthcare reform legislation that meets the needs of our member companies and the patients they serve.

The NACDS membership identified several key priorities for healthcare reform, and your legislation includes many of them. Most notably, the bill reforms Medicaid pharmacy reimbursement for generic drugs and maintains access to durable medical equipment for Medicare beneficiaries. The legislation also paves the way for an expanded role for community pharmacy in a reformed healthcare delivery system through the medical home pilot project.

We appreciate the inclusion of these provisions, and believe that they are critical components of any healthcare reform legislation. While we think some additional changes to several aspects of the legislation are needed, we support the legislative process moving forward. We hope to continue working together to strengthen H.R. 3200 as the legislation advances.

We believe the following provisions of the legislation are critical to maintaining patient access to local pharmacies:

Medicaid Reform: We applaud the inclusion of provisions to reform pharmacy reimbursement for generic drugs in the Medicaid program. As you know, the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA) made drastic cuts to pharmacy reimbursement, threatening patient access and eliminating incentives to dispense g
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