Monday, July 26, 2010 – 09:07 am
Updated: Monday, JUly 26, 2010 – 12:50 pm
A story in this mornings Sun and Inland Valley Daily Bulletin newspapers regarding San Bernardino County’s group health benefits contract with HealthNet Inc. depicts a very short-sighted situation.
While the focus of the story is the decision of having more than 10,000 county employees plus dependents losing the ability to use local pharmacies and its impact, there are larger issues of limited availability to the employees.
Apparently San Bernardino County took HealthNet up on an offer to save money. The amount of $1.6 million to be exact.
A decision from a county that routinely pisses away money at the drop of a hat.
The concession given by the county? Employees can only use CVS/Pharmacy locations or mail order service. I know, it’s hard to believe. Obviously HealthNet cut a deal with CVS.
Add in the fact local pharmacies are now cut out of serving county workers.
I spent some time on the CVS/Pharmacy website store locator and found only five 24-hour stores in the San Bernardino Valley and Riverside Metro area.
The 24-hour locations were in Redlands, Rancho Cucamonga, Upland, Chino, and Riverside.
There were no 24-hour locations in the High Desert or Big Bear area.
Pharmacy services at most other locations end at 10 pm.
The decision cut out access to local neighborhood competitors, and national chains Rite Aid and Walgreens, and their 24-hour networks.
It will also be interesting to see if CVS can provide efficient drug inventory management, since locations only stock limited supplies of medications at one time. An infusion of such a large number of group members may have an impact.
In this instance it may be the employees who are the one’s short changed here.
Update as of 07/26/1020 – 12:50 pm
Sources tell InlandPolitics.com the decision to restrict the pharmacy network was a management decision. It is unknown whether or not employee unions signed off on the change, which is required.
The $1.6 million savings purportedly reduced a proposed rate hike from roughly 13% to 9%.
Another question that has arisen today asks whether or not there is any increase in 24-hour pharmacy locations being considered, since some urgent care facilities are open past 10:00 pm.
The mail order/cvs pharmacy only applies to maintenance drugs. Non maintenance drugs like antibiotics, etc can be filled at ANY pharmacy, just like it is now.
The mail order for maintenance drugs was approved by the labor-management benefits committee as a pilot program for 1 year.
OK now I am a pissed off county employee. I put up with everything else those elected, appointed or otherwise put in power knuckleheads have thrown our way but this medication issue really has me livid. Why should I have to leave the comfort of using my neighborhood Walgreen’s and start using a pharmacy selected by someone else.
This just is not right. By the way is this a monopoly? Do anti-trust laws apply here? Is someone expecting to get a kickback from CVS or what? I don’t get it why would they do something this stupid.
We all pay a co-pay when getting a prescription filled and now they are saying we can only do business with one pharmacy. Sounds to me like they are telling us where we can spend our paychecks. Whats next a company grocery store and script instead of US Dollars?
I will be talking with Walgreen’s to see what kind of discount they might offer so that I can keep doing business there instead of at CVS. Screw the county they are not going to tell me where I can get my drugs and medications.
The pilot program as explained in comment one would appear on its face to be confusing to many county employees.
Maintenence drugs are a large volume expense and mail order has always been an available option.
The force aspect on pharmacy selection appears suspect.
Especially if the premium reduction to the county was $1.6 million or 4% reduction in the proposed rate increase.