Local Option (Formerly known as: Pharmacy Equity Act)
 

S.1776 Golden

S.2009 Volker

A.2808 Colton

- Support -

More and more, insurance programs create economic barriers that effectively keep consumers out of their community pharmacies where their prescription records are kept. More and more, health insurers are mandating that certain medications be obtained through the mail. Others offer significantly reduced co-payments or provide for no co-payments to consumers who use their mail-order facilities. New York consumers are often forced to use out-of-state, unregulated mail-order pharmacies. Mail order pharmacy has grown from a low of 2% of all prescriptions dispensed to as much as 18%. This is business that is allowed to leave this state and go to other states that have much more relaxed pharmacy regulations. In fact, mail-order pharmacies often flaunt New York’s tougher prescription and controlled substance laws by providing quantities far in excess of our laws.

The Pharmacists Society and PAWNY strongly hold the position that professional, face-to-face pharmacist care is a vitally important health care service currently being denied consumers forced to use mail-order pharmacies. Community-based pharmacies know their patients, keep their records and are available to answer questions about medications or to offer helpful comments about the correct and effective use of medications. Legislation that would either prohibit mandatory mail-order pharmacy or prohibit economic disincentives would ensure that knowledgeable consumers will have the benefit of maintaining a viable doctor-patient-pharmacist relationship. No insurance policy should deprive a consumer of that important choice.

Click Here to visit the PSSNY Website for a complete list of the 2007 Bills of Interest

Pharmacists' Association of Western New York
2005 Niagara Falls Blvd., Suite 3, Amherst, NY 14228
Tel: 564-0860 ∙ Fax: 564-0861 ∙ Email: pawny99@aol.com