California pharmacists will head back to an appeals court this week, to see if they can convince judges to temporarily block a ten percent Medi-Cal pay cut. Pharmacists say the cut is forcing them to lose money on Medi-Cal prescriptions. KPBS Reporter Kenny Goldberg has more.
Pharmacists say the more expensive the drug, the more money they lose on Medi-Cal prescriptions. That means big losses on brand name drugs used to treat mental illnesses and H-I-V.
John Cronin owns two pharmacies in North County. He says the Medi-Cal cut just isn't sustainable.
John Cronin: The net profitability for prescription drugs is about two or three percent. So when you cut ten percent off, it's gonna have an impact on the net profitability of just about any pharmacy that takes Medi-Cal.
This week, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals will consider whether to temporarily suspend the cut. Many pharmacists say if that doesn't happen, they may turn away Medi-Cal patients.
Kenny Goldberg, KPBS News.
