Senate Finance Committee leaders last week introduced two bills that would affect Medicare Part D drug reimbursements to pharmacies.
One bill (S. 1954) would require Medicare prescription drug plans to reimburse pharmacies within 14 days for electronically submitted claims and within 30 days for paper claims. The legislation would ensure pharmacists are paid on time, said Committee ranking minority member Charles Grassley (R-IA), who introduced the bill with Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT).
Another bill, the proposed Fair Medicaid Drug Payment Act of 2007 (S. 1951), would insure pharmacies receive adequate reimbursement for dispensing generic drugs to Medicaid beneficiaries, according to a press release on the bill. A final rule recently published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services makes cuts in the way Medicaid pays pharmacists for dispensing generic drugs to beneficiaries.
