Finding a good doctor is tough, and the extraordinarily profitable consolidation and gaming of the medical payments system by Express Scripts and the two other major pharmacy benefits managers is the cause of much mischief. The occult influence of lobbyists assured that Obamacare put pharmacy benefits managers in the driver’s seat for the sake of promised but illusory cost-savings to be gained by squeezing out small community pharmacies. As politically protected as the PBMs are, there is little prospect for reform.
Doesn’t help Medicare is slow paying and Tricare Life is even slower, 3 months or more. Both already dictate what they will pay, what they will cover, and where you can get your daily meds. The private Pharmacy we used for 30 yrs now gets only an occasional 1 time fill script, or in my case they get my water pill Triamterene generic Diazide which doubles as my heart med as neither Base nor Express Scripts can guarantee the one that works. ES just sends what every they can buy the cheapest, Base has only Maxzide a green tablet that doesn’t work. Nor should they be allowed to OVER RIDE a doctors DAW instructions, my ENDO only uses Name Brand Synthyroid as the generic is 30% less hormones and has tons of side effects.