United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Health, Education, and Human Services Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1996-09-19 monographic deposited born digital 12 p. GA 1.13:T-HEHS-96-216 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-96-216 P0b002ee180398329 f:he96216t DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-96-216 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-96-216 T-HEHS-96-216 Pharmaceutical industry Drugs Price regulation Price adjustments Customer service Health care cost control Managed health care Health maintenance organizations Health insurance cost control Medicaid Program Testimony HEHS GAO discussed the implications of prescription drug pricing for retail pharmacies, focusing on the: (1) changes in the process of getting prescription drugs from manufacturers to patients; and (2) consequences for and response of retail pharmacies to these changes. GAO noted that: (1) health insurers have used their consolidated buying power to obtain drug discounts not available to retail pharmacies; (2) health insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) use the size of their member populations as leverage to help reduce the amounts that they reimburse pharmacies for prescriptions dispensed to those populations; (3) retail pharmacies have been facing increased competition from mail order pharmacies; and (4) retail pharmacies have responded to the changes in pharmaceutical pricing by waging lawsuits against leading drug manufacturers and wholesalers, developing more competitive strategies for gaining business, and campaigning for legislative action. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-96-216/html/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-96-216.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-96-216/pdf/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-96-216.pdf GAO/T-HEHS-96-216 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-96-216 Testimony GAO/T-HEHS-96-216; Prescription Drug Pricing: Implications for Retail Pharmacies; Pharmaceutical industry Drugs Price regulation Price adjustments Customer service Health care cost control Managed health care Health maintenance organizations Health insurance cost control Medicaid Program