Global Healthy Living Foundation Study Shows Pharmacists Are Key to Successful Vaccine Uptake
May 10 2024 - 9:10AM
Business Wire
Insurers and Pharmacy Benefit Managers Should be Prohibited From
Limiting Access
The Global Healthy Living Foundation (GHLF) today published a
critical policy paper authored by Robert Popovian, PharmD, MS,
Founder, Conquest Advisors and GHLF’s Chief Science Policy Officer.
The paper, titled “Challenges in Adult Vaccination: Policy
Strategies for Sustaining Access and Supply,” details the benefits
associated with the current vaccine access and payment model for
adult vaccination in the United States. It highlights the potential
negative consequences if Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) subvert
the vaccine reimbursement landscape, which would in turn undermine
the important public health role that pharmacists play.
Dr. Popovian's report brings to light the problematic practices
of PBMs that can limit patient access and disrupt the vaccine
supply. The paper explains that PBMs complicate the vaccine
distribution process by enforcing restrictive policies involving
delayed payments, complex authorization processes, or insufficient
reimbursement rates. These practices not only jeopardize the
financial stability of pharmacies but also limit the range of
vaccines that pharmacies can offer.
"Pharmacists are tasked with providing essential health
services, including vaccinations,” said Dr. Popovian. “Suppose PBMs
are allowed to impose access restrictions by providing inadequate
reimbursement for the sole purpose of profiteering. Such actions
would disrupt the current vaccination ecosystem in pharmacies,
which ensures strong patient access, and critically, could endanger
the long-term vaccine supply.”
Pharmacists as Accessible Health Providers
Highlighting the crucial role of pharmacists, the report points
out that they are often the most readily available healthcare
providers, especially in underserved communities.
"Pharmacists are on the front lines, particularly in areas where
other health care services might be limited,” said National
Association of Chain Drug Stores President and CEO Steven C.
Anderson. “It is vital for the people whom pharmacists serve that
PBMs are not permitted to manipulate or restrict access to
vaccines, medications or services that are imperative for public
health."
The paper details how current PBM policies, if allowed, will
undermine this accessibility, particularly affecting low-income
neighborhoods and minority communities where pharmacies play a
critical role in vaccination.
Call-to-Action for Competitive Market Reforms
The paper calls for safeguards preventing PBMs from limiting
competition and restricting vaccine access. It also highlights the
continued coverage of all adult vaccines by private and public
insurers, maintaining the current payment model for easy vaccine
access and allowing patients to receive vaccinations at community
pharmacies without incurring out-of-pocket costs.
Dr. Popovian further emphasized the broader impact of these
reforms, “Implementing these policies will not only enhance vaccine
accessibility but also strengthen the overall health care system,”
he stated.
To learn more and download the full report, visit.
About Global Healthy Living Foundation
The Global Healthy Living Foundation is a U.S. based, 501(c)(3)
nonprofit, international organization whose mission is to improve
the quality of life for people with chronic illnesses by advocating
for improved access to health care through education,
patient-centered clinical research, support, advocacy, and economic
and policy research. GHLF is also a staunch advocate for vaccines.
The Global Healthy Living Foundation is the parent organization of
CreakyJoints®, the international, digital community for millions of
people living with arthritis and their supporters worldwide who
seek education, support, activism, and patient-centered research in
English, Spanish, and French. In addition to arthritis and
autoimmune disorders, GHLF supports dermatology, gastroenterology,
neurology, cardiology, oncology, infectious disease, rare disease,
and pulmonary patients through a host of different programs and
activities which draw more than 700,000 patients a month to GHLF
websites and create more than 10 million impressions a month on
seven social media platforms. In 2023, GHLF had more than 1 million
views and listens with its patient-centered audio-visual content,
found on YouTube and podcast platforms. GHLF never asks the public
for donations, receiving funding instead through governments,
non-governmental organizations, foundations, industry, family
foundations and co-founder Louis Tharp. Visit ghlf.org for more
information.
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Susan Jara Phone: 201-406-7756 Email: sjara@ghlf.org