In a letter to West Virginia Senators Joe Manchin, III, and Shelley Moore Capito, WVPA Executive Director Richard Stevens requested the state’s two senators support the Senate Finance Committee to include provisions addressing pharmacy direct and indirect remuneration (DIR) fees which the Committee will consider during its meeting.
It is important that Congress promptly address pharmacy DIR fees in light of the Trump administration’s failure to do so. DIR fees are important because: (1) pharmacy DIR fees have increased 45,000% since 2010; (2) pharmacy DIR fees continue to be unpredictable for pharmacies; and (3) DIR fees force patients to the coverage gap prematurely, which creates financial hardships.
Reforming DIR fees will: (1) lead to lower co-pays for beneficiaries; (2) create needed value-based infrastructure to drive pharmacy quality and performance metrics in an efficient and impactful way; and (3) result in better financial line of sight and greater stability for small pharmacies.
