CVS Health is standing up for Louisianans
October 13, 2020“By inserting themselves in the state’s process of selecting a firm to manage prescription drug coverage for the Office of Group Benefits, special interest groups representing Louisiana’s independent pharmacists attempted to line their own pockets at the expense of the state’s taxpayers, employees and retirees.“Following a fair and competitive procurement process, CVS Health stood ready to provide a prescription drug benefit plan for state employees that the state’s independent analysis estimated would save more than $100 million in the first year, while also including a fair and market-based rate for reimbursing independent pharmacists. Instead, those same pharmacists opted to put profits over patients – inserting themselves into a process where the state had already outlined providing them fair compensation.“This situation has set a dangerous precedent, endangering the healthcare coverage of state employees, threatening the fiscal solvency of the state employee and retiree benefit plan, and emboldening special interest groups whose sole concern is lining their own pockets. This bullying behavior, at a time when the state is facing unparalleled economic uncertainty from a global pandemic and countless natural disasters, is nothing short of shameful. Moreover, it represents an alarming trend that all states should be concerned about.“While we are disappointed in the outcome, we remain fully committed to working with public and private clients across Louisiana to deliver pharmacy coverage that puts patients first and brings down the costs for prescription drugs. Sadly, the independent pharmacists cannot say the same.”