STAT Plus: Pharmacy reimbursement often lags for generics undergoing price hikes, jeopardizing patient access
Of more than 4,300 instances in which pharmacies saw generic drug prices rise by 50% or more over a recent two-year period, the reimbursement from health plans and pharmacy benefit kept up with the price increases only 16% of the time, according to a new analysis.
The findings underscore the fact that pharmacies are sometimes getting squeezed when their costs increase, which has contributed to an ongoing number of closures among retail pharmacies around the U.S. in recent years. Moreover, the numbers also suggest that consumers are more likely to find that a needed medicine, especially those where demand is rising, is no longer available.
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