*ACTION * Contacts Needed Now! (AMP Pricing)

[Icky]

CONTACTS NEEDED NOW!!!!

AMP NEEDS TO BE DELAYED
The current proposed AMP reimbursement system is a disaster for pharmacies. You know about the GAO report, average reimbursement 36% below acquisition cost for generic drugs and the OIG report which reported pharmacies will be reimbursed below cost for 19 out of the 25 high expenditure generic drugs. (When you factor in cost to dispense, you will actually be reimbursed below cost for 24 out of 25 most frequently prescribed generic drugs in Medicaid.)
If Congress fails to act on the AMP issue in the coming weeks, pharmacies will start going out of business or refuse to accept Medicaid starting next year. This will create a severe access problem for Medicaid beneficiaries.
ACTION NEEDED:
APCI needs YOU to contact your U.S. Representative and your U.S. Senator’s offices and urge them to support an 18 month delay in the AMP reimbursement. A delay of the AMP reimbursement will give Congress time to fix this issue for good before January 31, 2008, the implementation date for AMP.
This is critical; APCI needs every APCI member to contact their Representatives and Senators NOW on this issue and let them know how important this issue is.
• Urge them to contact their Leadership and encourage support for the 18 month delay of the AMP reimbursement.
• Be sure to ask for their support for the delay.
• The future of pharmacy is in jeopardy unless Congress acts NOW and delays the current AMP reimbursement.
If you need information to find your Member of Congress go to: [Only registered and activated users can see links] Type in your zip code, and then follow directions for the contact information.
CONTACTS NEED TO BE MADE NOW!!!!

[Icky]

Here is the letter I emailed my Representatives.... feel free to use it.

__________________________________

Dear Senator X, (Or Reprasentative X)

My name is _____________ and I love my Independent pharmacy. It has come to my attention that my Family Pharmacy may not be here much longer if Average Manufacturer Pricing (AMP) re-imbursements take place as planned.

I am asking you to support an 18 month delay in the AMP reimbursement. A delay of the AMP reimbursement will give Congress time to fix this issue for good before January 31, 2008, the implementation date for AMP.

• I urge you to contact the Leadership and encourage support for the 18 month delay of the AMP reimbursement.
• I ask for your support for the delay.
• The future of pharmacy is in jeopardy unless Congress acts NOW and delays the current AMP reimbursement.

Thank you very much,

XXXXXXX

[Icky]

IMPORTANT!!!! (UGGGGG!!!!)

The partisan crap is killing this!!!!

Check out this most recent report from APCI
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APCI Meets with Senate Finance Committee Members
APCI LAD staff members, Kenny Sanders and Bill Eley, traveled to Washington, DC, earlier this week to meet with members of the Senate Finance Committee. This Senate committee was considering a possible “Medicare/Medicaid” fix that would hopefully include some alteration of the pending AMP rule for generic Medicaid prescriptions.
Senators on the Senate Finance Committee from APCI states include Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY), and Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV). The LAD staff, along with Brad Hall, Executive Director of the Kentucky Pharmacists Association, was able to meet with Senator Bunning and with staffers from Senator Lincoln’s and Senator Rockefeller’s offices, as well as staffers from other Senators’ offices including Senator Sessions (R-AL).

Early Thursday morning, APCI learned that Senate Finance Chairman Baucus, Wednesday, shut down committee talks on a Medicare bill, stating that he would move directly to negotiations with House lawmakers. This is completely unacceptable for independent community pharmacies!

Independent pharmacies and Medicaid recipients cannot afford for the Senate, or even Congress, to simply decide not to address such an important issue because of party squabbling.

APCI members should contact both their Senators and Representatives, NOW, and demand an 18 month delay for the implementation of the AMP rule. Tell your Senators and Representatives that under the current CMS reimbursement system, pharmacies are set to be reimbursed 36% below cost for generic drugs. Pharmacies will be discouraged from dispensing generic drugs which save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, and pharmacies will be forced to stop serving Medicaid patients, drastically reducing patient access and possibly closing pharmacy doors for good.
Where this leaves a Medicare/Medicaid fix, including amendment to the AMP rule is unknown at print time, but, it is crucial that members of Congress are contacted now. APCI will keep you updated as information becomes available.