Today, I had to do my annual “drug test”… you would think that after several years… they wouldn’t waste their money anymore. This test was done at a local “doctor in a box” office.. This particular facility is part of one of the two hospital systems in the area (~ 1.5 million pop) that controls probably 80%-90% of all the hospital beds in this metropolitan area… as well as a growing number of physician practices of various specialties through out the area.
Being the only person in the waiting room and after waiting > 30 minutes before I was called back.. I started reading the signs on the wall.. One of the signs on the wall stated that they no longer accepted the State of Indiana’s Medicaid.. although they accepted the state of Kentucky’s Medicaid.
Here are quotes from a couple of Texas RPH’s about how the song and dance of the PBM’s are being jumped on – hook-line-sinker
Earlier this year, I was forced to sell to CVS as managed healthcare hit the state of Texas. Before this point, I had been and independent Pharmacist all my career and had been working for independents since I was 15 years of age; I am currently 38 years old and graduated in 1997 from Pharmacy School.
the state legislature(Rick Perry and his cronies) were duped into selling out the the state run medicaid program to FOR PROFIT PBMS under the guise of cost savings….roughly 30 Pharmacies have closed in Texas since March of 2012
If anyone is paying attention… physicians have been selling their practices to hospitals for the main reason of the cost of “back office” expenses and the fact that a number of in office tests are being reimbursed at a higher rate if they are performed by the hospital… if the physician practice is an extension of the hospital.. the higher rate is paid.
This would suggest that the amounts being paid to these “extensions” of the hospitals are being reduced… and availability of service is also less available.. and this is before Obamacare kicks in -2014 – and ONE-HALF TRILLION DOLLARS are cut from Medicare.
As a country, we now have more people on Medicare/Disability, Medicaid than ever before.. and with 10,000 baby boomers gaining access to Medicare everyday.. those numbers are never going to decline for another 20 yrs – at least.
If longevity increases a similar number of years for the baby boomers as it did for their parents… the fiscal problems of our healthcare system could just be further compounded.
Filed under: Coming to a town near you, Dumb politicians, Insurance companies
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