NYFAHC is working with our member, GMHC, to pass legislation to end the insurance industry practice of forcing consumers to use mandatory mail order pharmacies for their specialty drugs. Medications in this category include cancer treatments, HIV medications, drugs used by organ donation recipients, Hepatitis C treatments. They can be defined as any medication costing $250 or more for a 30 day supply.
The result? People already facing life-threatening and/or chronic conditions are having their health and privacy compromised. Many report dangerous delays in starting or continuing their prescription drug regimens. They cannot access prescription drug counseling from a trusted ,local pharmacist who is familiar with all of the medications they are taking. Medications that require refrigeration are left to spoil at the door. Neighbors find out that they are receiving treatments for HIV and other illnesses.
Your organization can help pass A5723 B (Heastie)/S3995B (Maziarz) which would close the loophole in current New York State law the forces consumers to use a mail-order pharmacy and to prevents local pharmacies, that are willing to match the mail order price, from filling a consumer’s prescription when that is the consumer’s preference. Click below to find the following:
1. A template memorandum of support that you can use to produce your own memo. If you are hearing about this from consumers about problems they are having getting their medications due to mandatory mail order pharmacy restrictions, be sure to include them in your memo and send it to Lyndel Urbano, Manager of Government Affairs at GMHC, at lyndelu@gmhc.org.
2. A sign-on letter to the Governor and New York State Legislature. Again, please let Lyndel know the name of your organization if you can sign on. lyndelu@gmhc.org.
3. Examples story collection from consumers who have experienced anxiety or have gotten sick because they could not access their medications. We are now planning a lobby day and press conference for May 21st and would like to have some consumers who could actually tell their story at the press conference or have it told by someone else.