Carol Vaughan, a 62-year-old uninsured patient in Kansas City, said it was "difficult" after the Duchesne Clinic she used to fill prescriptions for more than 10 years closed.
Across the country, more than 7,000 drugstores have closed their doors, creating pharmacy deserts in some areas and overwhelming other pharmacies with new patients.
When the Duchesne Clinic closed its doors in Kansas City, Kansas, more than 1,000 patients had to find a new location to fill their prescriptions. Some turned to Pharmacy of Grace, a nonprofit pharmacy.
"We've had about almost 400 patients come our way so far, but there's still people that are trying to find a provider," said John Yost, co-founder and board chair of Pharmacy of Grace. "And part of the issue is, just like every clinic, you have only so many slots to put people in, so people are still finding providers, even now."
Yost told KCUR's Up To Date that pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) are driving the closures.
New York Times health report Reed Abelson, who investigated PBMs, describes them as the middleman between the pharmacy and patient, and between employers and health plans.
PBMs control 80% of the prescription drug market, and are responsible for negotiating rates, including patient co-pays and pharmacy reimbursement rates. Because the PBMs control so much of the market with little oversight, pharmacies have little leverage to negotiate contracts and costs.
Yost wants to see state regulations to ensure PMBs are reimbursing at a fair rate.
"These companies thrive in the lack of transparency and the fact that the system is so convoluted that it's very difficult to tell why you're paying, what you're paying, even how much you're paying compared to other people; how much the pharmacy benefit manager is pocketing," Abelson said.
- Carol Vaughan, patient, Pharmacy of Grace
- John Yost, board chair, Pharmacy of Grace
- Reed Abelson, health reporter, New York Times
