01/08/2024
From another pharmacist facing the daily struggles.
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𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 & 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐂𝐕𝐒 𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫. 𝑊𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑎 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑡; 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑑𝑜𝑛’𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑛. 🙉
The med got lost coming from mail order and CVS Pharmacy is backed up 5 days. You head down the street to your independent pharmacy (sorry, there’s red signs on the window - they just closed after 50 years & your prescriptions have been transferred up the street). Your only choice left is to wait.
This happened in 2018 when the old Skippack Pharmacy sold to CVS & a situation like this happens every day throughout the US.
Reimbursements filling meds at a loss, vertical integration/alliances between PBM (pharmacy benefit managers) & a chain forcing unfair competition, and a lack of regulation are paving the path for 𝗽𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘀 where people will not have a choice.
𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩? Put your shutters on & continue to support your independent pharmacies irrespective of what your insurance says. Get your meds local (generic meds can be filled with comparable or better prices than your insurance), get your vaccines local, support local.
The third largest chain, RITE AID, closing down many stores is a stark reality of what can happen anywhere.
