Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia introduced legislation on March 17 to improve pharmacy access for active-duty military members and their families. The proposed Rx ACCESS Act aims to protect independent pharmacies from unfair reimbursement practices in the TRICARE program and ensure that military personnel can obtain necessary prescriptions.
The issue is important because many active-duty troops and their families face challenges in accessing essential prescription medications. The new bill seeks to address these difficulties by allowing military families to use the pharmacies of their choice.
“Our active-duty troops and their families make extraordinary sacrifices for our nation, yet they often face difficulties accessing essential prescription medications. Our bill will ensure that active-duty military families can access their prescriptions at pharmacies of their choice,” said Senator Tom Cotton.
Senator Tim Kaine said, “We have an obligation to our servicemembers and their families to ensure they have access to high-quality health care. This bipartisan legislation is critical to ensuring active-duty military members and families can get the prescription medication they need, and I’ll be working with my colleagues to get it passed.”
According to the announcement, the Rx ACCESS Act would require pharmacy benefit managers participating in TRICARE to reimburse pharmacies either the actual cost of a drug or the national average drug acquisition cost. It would also mandate that pharmacies receive a dispensing fee equal to the Medicaid dispensing fee. Additionally, the act directs the Comptroller General to conduct annual audits of TRICARE pharmacy benefit manager data related to reimbursement rates and network adequacy regarding continuity of care and geographic accessibility.
The text of the bill is available online for those seeking more details about its provisions.
