NCPA supports pharmacy TRICARE provisions in House Defense Bill, calls for Senate to adopt similar approach with its pending bill  

ALEXANDRIA, Va., May 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) strongly supports provisions in last week's House passage of H.R.1585, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, that ensures the military health system (TRICARE) dispenses prescription drugs in a patient-friendly and cost-efficient manner.

 

The measures include continuing the freeze on increases in retail pharmacy copayments, making available federal pricing discounts for prescriptions to retail pharmacies, and preserving patient choice by not forcing beneficiaries to use mail order for their prescription medications.

   

NCPA urges the Senate to take action to make certain these common-sense policies are enacted into law. These provisions now await Senate passage of its version of the bill, which will be considered this week. The consumer choice provisions need to survive the gauntlet remaining in the Senate's pending passage of its version of the bill (S.567), followed by reconciliation in the congressional conference committee.

   

Last year, the Senate passed a bill that also tried to address the

flaws in TRICARE, including the provision to make available federal pricing discounts to retail pharmacies, which would have offered an enormoussavings to the Department of Defense's budget. Unfortunately, that provision did not survive the reconciliation process with the House. That situation should be avoided this year since the House already has passed the measure.

   

"One of the best ways to honor the sacrifices of those who serve in our

military is by taking care of their health needs," said Bruce Roberts, RPh,

NCPA executive vice president and CEO. "Our active duty military, veterans, and their dependents rely on their access to prescription drugs being guaranteed under TRICARE. The House Defense Authorization bill passed last week contains important provisions that ensure the costs of prescription drugs are not prohibitive and that the personal services of community pharmacies continue to be readily available for our military personnel and their families."

   

The legislative victory was a by-product of a sustained grassroots

effort by the Coalition for Community Pharmacy Action, which consists of

NCPA and the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, and military

beneficiary groups. The discounts being made available to retail pharmacies would provide approximately $250 million in annual savings and eliminate the need for higher retail copayments and mandatory use of mail order drug vendors.

 

Eliminating a directive pushing TRICARE beneficiaries to mail

order prescription plans is a free-market solution that allows military

families to have the option of continuing to receive the services provided

by community pharmacies without penalty.

   

"Pharmacists take great pride in providing prescription drugs and

professional pharmacy services to our military," said John Tilley, RPh,

president of NCPA and a pharmacy owner from Downey, Calif. "It is an

opportunity to deliver the type of care they deserve. TRICARE always should

place a premium on avoiding financial disincentives that discourage

beneficiaries' access to the pharmacy of their choice. It is our hope that

the provisions contained in the recently passed House bill that address

this concern are included in the version that ultimately winds up as the

law of the land."

 

The National Community Pharmacists Association, founded in 1898,

represents the nation's community pharmacists, including the owners of more than 24,000 pharmacies. The nation's independent pharmacies, independent pharmacy franchises, and independent chains dispense nearly half of the nation's retail prescription medicines. To learn more go to http://www.ncpanet.org.