Pharmacists take their customers out

Pharmacists do not pass on discounts to customers

05/12/2013

Pharmacies do not pass on discounts on medicines to their customers, as provided by the Pharmaceutical Saving Package (AMNOG). On the other hand, health insurances now want to proceed.

Complicated health system
The German health care system again and again gives rise to a dispute between doctors, health insurances, the pharmaceutical industry or clinics. Laws are often interpreted differently by the parties involved. Currently, the drug savings package, which came into force in 2011, ensures such disputes. With this law, which was passed by the black-yellow coalition, the price monopoly of the pharmaceutical industry should be broken. In the past, manufacturers could arbitrarily set the price for a new drug, but in the meantime it is being negotiated with the health insurance companies depending on the actual benefit. The health insurances receive a discount if the effectiveness is not or only slightly better compared to an older product.

Long-lasting dispute between pharmacists and health insurance companies
Since the introduction of the new law, the dispute between pharmacists and the statutory health insurance (GKV). Even then, the GKV warned patients against being overpriced drugs turn on, the pharmacists accused the GKV misinformation and disinformation. The pharmaceutical industry and above all the pharmacists are now accused of interpreting the law in their favor, which leads to higher costs for health insurances and insured persons. Actually, however, it was envisaged by the legislator that the discount price is the starting point for the trade surcharges of the pharmaceutical wholesalers and the pharmacies and for the additional payments of the patients.

Patients remain sitting at extra cost
From an information letter from the pharmacy service company ABDATA, which is the Frankfurter Rundschau present, it now appears that according to the will of pharmacists the relevant database with the price information of the drugs is changed so that generally the (higher) original price is deposited and not the discount price , The database should be changed accordingly even if a pharmaceutical company reports the discounted price. As a result, insured persons have to pay more for a drug. An example should clarify the change: The additional payment is ten percent of the drug price, but a maximum of ten euros. If there is a discount of 40 euros for a 100 Euro drug, then the insured would have to pay six euros (ten percent of 60 euros). However, the new rule will make it ten euros in the future. Also for the health insurance companies it becomes more expensive, since the trade surcharges for the pharmacies are also calculated as a percentage. More profit will be made by the pharmacies. The Kassen-Spitzenverband criticizes: „The will of the legislator is clearly not implemented. Here data is manipulated.“ The coalition is asked by him to a legal clarification, but this rejects so far. Until something changes, the health insurances want to reduce the inflated bills of the pharmacists. Unfortunately, patients do not have this option, they have to make the required additional payments if they want to get a drug in the pharmacy. You probably have to pay the additional costs yourself. (Sb)

Picture: siepmannH, Pixelio.de