Mom-&-pop drug stores rally for support
BY GABE HERMAN
Independent pharmacy owners rallied
in late October at City Hall — and
nine other cities throughout New
York State — to support legislation that
would increase regulations on prescription
drug middlemen, who are known as
pharmacy benefi t managers (PBMs).
The Oct. 23 rally at City Hall included
hundreds of supporters and pharmacists,
including employees of the longtime
Greenwich Village pharmacy Village
Apothecary at 346 Bleecker St. It was
organized by FixRx, a campaign by Pharmacists
Society of the State of New York
(PSSNY) and the New York City Pharmacists
Society (NYCPS) to advocate for
health care reforms related to pharmacies
and prescription drugs.
The rally was in support of legislation
that passed the State Assembly and State
Senate in June. It has not yet been delivered
to Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is
expected to sign it into law.
The legislation would require that
PBMs are regulated and licensed. As
it is now, PBM fees in the prescription
drug delivery process pass along higher
costs to pharmacies and customers, like
“spread pricing” in Medicaid Managed
Care, which provided hundreds of millions
of dollars to PBMs in New York
State in 2018.
“The legislation would be a major step
forward in the fi ght against PBMs,” said
Parthiv Shah, Chairman of the NYCPS.
“We need to ensure that pharmacists,
patients, and taxpayers alike are being
guarded against their abusive and deceptive
practices. It is time to shine the
At the Oct. 23 rally, State Senator Diane Savino in front on the far left, and next to her is Roger Paganelli, a
leader of the FixRx campaign. Village Apothecary representatives are in the front on the far right.
light brightly on these greedy corporate
middlemen.”
Pharmacy organization studies have
shown that pharmacies lose money nearly
50 percent of the time when fi lling prescriptions
under Medicare Managed Care
plans, noted Village Apothecary pharmacist
John Kaliabakos. As a result, 70
percent of New York pharmacies in 2019
have had to lay off employees or reduce
store hours. That number is projected
to increase to 90 percent, he noted, if
changes aren’t made in the reimbursement
system.
“Village Apothecary and other independent
pharmacies are fi ghting hard
behind the scenes every day to ensure
that patients receive the highest quality
care,” Kaliabakos told The Villager, “and
we ask for the community’s support in the
ongoing battle against the questionable
practices of these PBMs and insurance
companies.”
“We applaud the Governor for his
leadership over the last few years and for
taking the steps to make real change in
the way that PBMs are able to operate,”
said Steve Moore, President of PSSNY.
“We look forward to the increased PBM
oversight and transparency that this legislation
makes possible.”
In January 2019, a State Senate committee
opened an investigation into the
practices of PBMs in New York State.
This led to an early June report, whose
fi ndings included a lack of transparency
and oversight of PBMs, which allowed
them “to engage in self-dealing to the
detriment of consumers across New York
State,” and recommended regulation and
to require licenses.
In response to the June report, the
COURTESY TOM CORSILLO
Pharmaceutical Care Management Association
(PCMA), which represents the
nation’s PBMs, disputed the report’s fi ndings.
“This report attempts to undermine the
only industry that is reducing prescription
drug costs for New York’s employers and
consumers,” said PCMA President and
CEO JC Scott. “The truth is PBMs advocate
for consumers and health plan sponsors
to keep prescription drugs accessible
and affordable. In fact, in New York PBMs
will save $39.9 billion across all the state’s
health programs over 10 years.”
PCMA further said in the June statement,
“We believe that more can be done
to address rising drug prices. We stand
ready to work with New York lawmakers
to increase competition and build on
market-based tools in public programs
and private health insurance.”
MTA opens renovated First Avenue L train entrance
BY ALEX MITCHELL
Two commuters let out a yell of
excitement after learning that a
new, more eastbound entrance
to the First Avenue L train station had
opened in Manhattan this morning.
The MTA offi cially unveiled this new
entranceway on the southwest corner
of East 14th Street and Avenue A in
Stuyvesant Town as part of its extensive
L train tunnel rehabilitation — also announcing
that a street-to-platform elevator
will be completed by June in addition
to other upcoming amenities for
the station.
MTA Chief Development Offi cer and
President Janno Lieber called the improvements
a milestone on the L Train
project, which he also noted was moving
ahead of schedule by some months.
“More importantly, it’s a milestone
that delivers something for the commuter,”
Lieber said.
Prior to the new access point, commuters
coming from any of the lettered
A wooden construction fence still surrounds the new First Avenue station
entrance.
avenues had to hike all the way to First
Avenue and 14th Street to catch the
only subway service in that neighborhood.
PHOTOS BY ALEX MITCHELL
While this new entrance is for Brooklyn
bound travelers only, the MTA is
expected to open in June a second portal
for Eighth Avenue-bound customers
on the northwest side of the same intersection.
As part of the MTA’s rehabilitation
of the L’s Canarsie tunnel, the authority
is also improving station accessibility
along the L at Union Square and Sixth
Avenue, in Manhattan, and Bedford
Avenue, in Brooklyn. Both Sixth Avenue
and Bedford will also receive new
elevators. Riders have endured a series
of service changes on the line–on top of
the L “slowdown”–in order to accommodate
construction around that work.
Even though the new Brooklynbound
entryway is open, as of Monday
morning, a wooden construction fence
(painted green) remained surrounding
most of the staircase on Avenue A.
Upon entering it, customers can fi nd
two separate staircases leading down to
the station, along with two MetroCard
vending machines.
The new entrance will be closed
nights and weekends as part of the
overall station work, according to the
MTA.
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