Would Retail Pharmacy benefit from a mandatory Health Insurance Plan?

[Rxnupe]

Ok, I do want this to turn this into a political issue Obamacar ve RomneyCare vs Status Quo, nut as I Pharmacist manager for a very busy CVS we (pharmacist) are require to make mandatory 8 day calls which are calls to customers who have new prescriptions that have been in the waiting bin for 7 days. Also I loo at the amount of RTS(Return to stock) prescriptions and I am seeing a pattern that most of those meds that are returned are prescriptions that are on cash and quite frankly the cost says they can't afford to purchase the meds.
Now one obvious option would have been to call the MD to substitute to a cheaper generic, but that's not always possible in all situations. However, what if hypothetically speaking everyone had to carry Health Insurance and you would imaine most would have some sort of prescription- would this not overall be a huge benefit for both Pharmacy, Insurance Companies and Drug manufacturers as well? It seems like it would be a simple supply and demand where prices should level off in all 3 of those sectors because you have a wider pool of people accessing the information. Retail pharmacies would justifiably be busier overall but I am beginning to think that perhaps some sort of Health Plan would benefit Pharmacies overall in general.
Let's face what's going to be an easier sell a person with insurance that has a co-pay of $25.00 for Nexium or a person with no Insurance where the cash price is $199?
Does anyone see where mandatory Health Insurance would hurt the Pharmacy business or even the Insurance companies?

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[PharmDstudent]

Cash prescriptions are king...

 

[Rxnupe]

Cash prescriptions are king...

Oh Yes I am aware of that, but like I said who has cash to pay 200 for 30 day supply of Nexium? And let's not even get into the cost of chemo and HIV drugs cash price- just forget about it. It seems to me customers are willing to pay cash prices for the Hydrocodones/ Anitbiotics/Anxiety Meds(Xanax, Valium, and Klonopin and Viagras/Cialis and Levitra but your typical Maintenance meds- not a chance.

 

[ArcSil]

Oh Yes I am aware of that, but like I said who has cash to pay 200 for 30 day supply of Nexium? And let's not even get into the cost of chemo and HIV drugs cash price- just forget about it. It seems to me customers are willing to pay cash prices for the Hydrocodones/ Anitbiotics/Anxiety Meds(Xanax, Valium, and Klonopin and Viagras/Cialis and Levitra but your typical Maintenance meds- not a chance.

Time for me to get killed on here.

I totally agree with you. If we did have universal healthcare, then I believe the best way for it is to have genuine limits on it. We need to ask ourselves a simple question: do we want the maximum amount of people to be healthy at low cost or do we want the same system at a higher cost (and similar abuse)?

I believe that if we adopted a universal healthcare solution, if possible, it should be both private and public.

Private covers all that it does now (same old system for those who want it) with a possible tax incentive.

Public should cover the essentials and it should be universal. Generics only (unless there is an absolute brand medically necessary issue that should be somehow encouraged/enforced or the drug [or an equally effective drug in the same class] is not available in generic form), antibiotics (unless it is for acne, etc), maintenance drugs, possibly/probably anxiety/depression drugs, and mild pain killers (ibuprofen, etc.). Notice that I didn't inclue your ED meds, acne drugs (unless there is a serious medical need), or hydrocodones/codeines/C-II's. The only way for hydrocodones/codeines/C-II pain killers should be if you can get a surgeon, hospital doc, or oncologist to write it for a necessary condition

The idea behind universal healthcare should be that no one unnecessarily gets ill or dies due to their inability to pay. Not getting antibiotics is life threatening, not getting your Vicodin for a bruised leg is not. If you want to get all the "fancy bells and whistles", then get a private insurance plan.

This would hopefully allow for a sustainable healthcare solution that can heal the maximum amount of people that needs it.

 

[bananaface]

It depends on the reimbursement. You can't make up for losses with volume, which seems to be the way retail pharmacy is headed on alot of contracts, $4 generics, and Medicare plan pricing.

 

[Rxnupe]

It depends on the reimbursement. You can't make up for losses with volume, which seems to be the way retail pharmacy is headed on alot of contracts, $4 generics, and Medicare plan pricing.

Yes you are right it would be self defeating if they had universal coverage and they reduce reimbursements at the same time- that would lead to increase script volume with reduce tech hours which is the last thing anyone in retail wants right now.

 

[Rxnupe]

Time for me to get killed on here.

I totally agree with you. If we did have universal healthcare, then I believe the best way for it is to have genuine limits on it. We need to ask ourselves a simple question: do we want the maximum amount of people to be healthy at low cost or do we want the same system at a higher cost (and similar abuse)?

I believe that if we adopted a universal healthcare solution, if possible, it should be both private and public.

Private covers all that it does now (same old system for those who want it) with a possible tax incentive.

Public should cover the essentials and it should be universal. Generics only (unless there is an absolute brand medically necessary issue that should be somehow encouraged/enforced or the drug [or an equally effective drug in the same class] is not available in generic form), antibiotics (unless it is for acne, etc), maintenance drugs, possibly/probably anxiety/depression drugs, and mild pain killers (ibuprofen, etc.). Notice that I didn't inclue your ED meds, acne drugs (unless there is a serious medical need), or hydrocodones/codeines/C-II's. The only way for hydrocodones/codeines/C-II pain killers should be if you can get a surgeon, hospital doc, or oncologist to write it for a necessary condition

The idea behind universal healthcare should be that no one unnecessarily gets ill or dies due to their inability to pay. Not getting antibiotics is life threatening, not getting your Vicodin for a bruised leg is not. If you want to get all the "fancy bells and whistles", then get a private insurance plan.

This would hopefully allow for a sustainable healthcare solution that can heal the maximum amount of people that needs it.

I agree now I am not saying Obamacaer is the right plan there are some things in it that I like and some that I don't but going back to the status quo where we just let taxpayers pick up the tab is the wrong step.
However, I do like your idea of some sort of universal prescription plan and the idea to have generics as a guide to what she be covered is a great idea. I can tell you the numerous times I have received prescriptions from the ER where the person has no insurance gets treated and the MD writes for Nexium or maybe Zofran that the person still can't afford and we are left with a cycle where a person can get better because they can't afford the medications.

 

[farmadiazepine]

People have cash to pay for 30 day supply of omeprazole.

And people have cash to pay for Viagra, Cialis, Levitra.

HIV meds are almost always covered by the state, and if someone can't afford them, they will find a way to have it paid for.