IT'S TIME TO AUDIT TRICARE!
Audit TRICARE is a campaign founded by Pharmacists United for Truth & Transparency (PUTT). This critical initiative is designed to bring transparency to questionable pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) pricing practices that may be costing taxpayers millions while affecting healthcare access for military families. Through this effort our goal is to start a national conversation about the stark price differences between common generic medications purchased without insurance and the prices charged to the federal government by TRICARE's PBM, Express Scripts.
PUTT members whose families are on TRICARE or TRICARE for Life, sourced drug pricing information through TRICARE’s prescription drug pricing portal, comparing the cost of generic medications on Tricare versus without insurance at pharmacies like Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs, Blueberry Pharmacy and DiRx, who provide their medication cash price online.
The prescription drug pricing disparities highlighted by our preliminary research have far-reaching implications:
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Military families may pay significantly more for common generic medications through mail-order as a way to offset somewhat lower brand medication prices on TRICARE
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Taxpayers fund potentially inflated prescription costs without visibility into pricing rationale
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Healthcare resources that could serve more military families may be diverted to pay for excessive PBM administrative costs
Through the "Audit TRICARE" campaign, we aim to:
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Demand Transparency: Call for clear, public reporting on the factors contributing to the prescription drug pricing within the TRICARE system, including detailed breakdowns of PBM fees, rebates, and administrative costs
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Encourage Oversight: Advocate for federal agencies to regularly and independently audit PBM pricing practices to ensure competitive, fair pricing for generic medications
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Protect Military Families: Ensure healthcare decisions - including the patient’s choice of pharmacy - are based on the patient’s best interest, not profit margins or self-dealing business arrangements
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Safeguard Taxpayer Dollars: At a time when the federal government is seeking greater fiscal responsibility, ensure government healthcare contractors are acting as fiduciaries, using fair pricing practices and preserving access for service members, veterans and their families
The "Audit TRICARE" campaign is intended to represent more than policy advocacy. Our goal is to call for the transparency and accountability military families have earned through their service.