From the Seattle Times:
Effective April 16, Walgreens drugstores across the state won’t take any new Medicaid patients, saying that filling their prescriptions is a money-losing proposition — the latest development in an ongoing dispute over Medicaid reimbursement.
The company, which operates 121 stores in the state, will continue filling Medicaid prescriptions for current patients.
In a news release, Walgreens said its decision to not take new Medicaid patients stemmed from a “continued reduction in reimbursement” under the state’s Medicaid program, which reimburses it at less than the break-even point for 95 percent of brand-name medications dispensed to Medicaid patents.
As someone pointed out to me, “And the bill in Congress will put tens of millions more Americans in Medicaid… but not your Member of Congress.”
Rationing need not be done explicitly. When government plans cut back on their payment rates, expect more companies, and physicians, to follow this example, meaning it will be more difficult for you to get the treatment you need.
