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Blevins: Legislation or medication – lawmakers must choose

OKFAHC

For the many Oklahoma businesses and individuals responsible for providing health care coverage to their employees and families, access to affordable prescription drugs is a top priority.


Regrettably, the Oklahoma Board of Pharmacy recently approved new rules for the home delivery of medications that would impose higher costs onto patients and businesses. If passed into law, this regulation would require all medicines to be shipped in temperature-controlled packages, resulting in additional fees for hardworking Oklahomans, on top of the already sky-high prices set by big drug companies. And it’s important to note pharmacies offering home delivery of prescriptions already comply with industry shipping standards.

But confusingly, these new rules apply only to pharmacy shipping to patients – not the shipping from manufacturers to drug wholesalers, or any other stage earlier in the supply chain. When manufacturers set the temperature guidelines for prescription drugs, abide by these guidelines, and distribute these guidelines to pharmacies so that they can ship accordingly, wouldn’t it make more sense to require all stages of shipping to adhere to these new packaging requirements? Especially if the ultimate goal is patient safety? If implemented, this misguided rule would increase the cost of the home delivery of prescription drugs by up to $23 per package, a significant financial burden that would disproportionately affect low-income individuals and their families, seniors, and retirees. For patients with multiple prescriptions, this could mean paying an additional hundreds of dollars a month just to continue getting the medications they already receive.

Many Oklahomans – particularly those in rural areas – rely on home delivery of prescriptions due to limited mobility or lack of transportation options. By targeting home delivery pharmacies, this rule would interrupt their continuity of care and threaten their well-being.

For small businesses and other job-creators who provide health coverage to their employees, this unnecessary mandate would increase costs and threaten their ability to provide high-quality, affordable benefits to hardworking Oklahomans and their families. Put simply, this rule would force Oklahomans to choose between their physical or financial health. And that’s a decision that none of us should have to make.

It’s now up to our legislators to put a stop to this undue government red tape and stand up for Oklahoma businesses and families. I urge our lawmakers to oppose this rule and protect our access to convenient, affordable prescription drugs.

Andrea Blevins is a senior account manager at Catalyst Benefits Group in Tulsa. By: Andrea Blevins//Guest Columnist//May 5, 2023






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