# Walgreens Won't take MEDICARE after...............



## Gatekeeper (Mar 18, 2010)

*It's Beginning Already!!*

Walgreens: no new Medicaid patients as of April 16 in Washington state

And they won't be the last to screw over those who have MEDICAID NOW., How many others?  Doctors, Pharmacies, where does it end?

Local News | Walgreens: no new Medicaid patients as of April 16 | Seattle Times Newspaper


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## JW Frogen (Mar 18, 2010)

Walmart is an import company for China.

Just say no.


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## JW Frogen (Mar 18, 2010)

Mind you, every time I go to the USA I love to shop at Walmart.

But then I am a self confessed drunk.

We reap what we sow.

Life is fair really.


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## Gatekeeper (Mar 18, 2010)

JW Frogen said:


> Walmart is an import company for China.
> 
> Just say no.



Sorry JW I typo'd Walmart.it's Walgreens


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## xotoxi (Mar 18, 2010)

The title of your thread is misleading...am I missing something?

You mention Walmart in the title, and Walgreens in the post.

And you mention Medicare in the title, and Medicaid in the post.


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## JW Frogen (Mar 18, 2010)

Gatekeeper said:


> JW Frogen said:
> 
> 
> > Walmart is an import company for China.
> ...



If you were standing before me know I would kill you with my bare hands.

And you really do not want to know what I would do with my bare buttocks.


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## Gatekeeper (Mar 18, 2010)

JW Frogen said:


> Mind you, every time I go to the USA I love to shop at Walmart.
> 
> But then I am a self confessed drunk.
> 
> ...



The last part of your statement is so true. 

It also won't be long I would bet before other states and stores join in to Walgreens in Washington's nonsense. The health care overhaul THEY are attempting will mean less profit, some VERY EXCESS for many along with long waits for just about anything in the emergency room, doctors visits and last but not least......
The Funeral Parlors........"Death by Healthcare Reform"


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## Gatekeeper (Mar 18, 2010)

JW Frogen said:


> Gatekeeper said:
> 
> 
> > JW Frogen said:
> ...



Just the thought has ruined my desire for breakfast, I apologize, I just used up my one free "Stupid Card" for the day.


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## Gatekeeper (Mar 18, 2010)

xotoxi said:


> The title of your thread is misleading...am I missing something?
> 
> You mention Walmart in the title, and Walgreens in the post.
> 
> And you mention Medicare in the title, and Medicaid in the post.



Yes I typo'd the name Walgreens for  'the other', sorry for the momentary attack of the 'stupids'.
Think I'll go back to bed and get up later.


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## xotoxi (Mar 18, 2010)

Gatekeeper said:


> xotoxi said:
> 
> 
> > The title of your thread is misleading...am I missing something?
> ...


 
We all should go back to bed...this awakeness deal really sucks!


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## US Army Retired (Mar 18, 2010)

Threads merged. -EZ

Obama's lie lasted just a little over a couple of hours after he said this on his Fox News Interview. "Seniors on Medicaid will see no reduction in benefits. Now, one of the largest chain drug stores will refuse to fill prescriptions will be just the opposite , a reduction in benefits to those seniors depending on it. Can you people see that this man doesn't care about the populace? 



Local News | Walgreens: no new Medicaid patients as of April 16 | Seattle Times Newspaper

Effective April 16, Walgreens drugstores across the state won't take any new Medicaid patients, saying that filling their prescriptions is a money-losing proposition &#8212; the latest development in an ongoing dispute over Medicaid reimbursement.

The company, which operates 121 stores in the state, will continue filling Medicaid prescriptions for current patients.

In a news release, Walgreens said its decision to not take new Medicaid patients stemmed from a "continued reduction in reimbursement" under the state's Medicaid program, which reimburses it at less than the break-even point for 95 percent of brand-name medications dispensed to Medicaid patents.


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## RetiredGySgt (Mar 18, 2010)

US Army Retired said:


> Obama's lie lasted just a little over a couple of hours after he said this on his Fox News Interview. "Seniors on Medicare will see no reduction in benefits." Now, one of the largest chain drug stores will refuse to fill prescriptions will be just the opposite , a reduction in benefits to those seniors depending on it. Can you people see that this man doesn't care about the populace?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Already posted.


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## US Army Retired (Mar 18, 2010)

RetiredGySgt said:


> US Army Retired said:
> 
> 
> > Obama's lie lasted just a little over a couple of hours after he said this on his Fox News Interview. "Seniors on Medicare will see no reduction in benefits." Now, one of the largest chain drug stores will refuse to fill prescriptions will be just the opposite , a reduction in benefits to those seniors depending on it. Can you people see that this man doesn't care about the populace?
> ...


Really? I looked and didn't see another thread. Sorry.


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## JimH52 (Mar 18, 2010)

Gatekeeper said:


> xotoxi said:
> 
> 
> > The title of your thread is misleading...am I missing something?
> ...



Hey, we all make mistakes.  I mean, *W* was elected to two terms, wasn't he?


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## Sarah G (Mar 18, 2010)

xotoxi said:


> The title of your thread is misleading...am I missing something?
> 
> You mention Walmart in the title, and Walgreens in the post.
> 
> And you mention Medicare in the title, and Medicaid in the post.



Yeah, it was misleading in fact, I looked it up as soon as I read the title because I hadn't heard anything about Walgreen's dumping medicare.


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## saveliberty (Mar 18, 2010)

0bama will just nationalize Walgreens.  What are those people who run Walgreens thinking anyways?  Concerned about keeping their stores open, paying their employees and providing health care coverage too.  Anyone who thinks doctors won't do the same better pay attention to this.


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## Ravi (Mar 18, 2010)

Gatekeeper said:


> *It's Beginning Already!!*
> 
> Walgreens: no new Medicaid patients as of April 16 in Washington state
> 
> ...


Someone should fix your thread title. Medicare and Medicaid are two different programs.


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## Gatekeeper (Mar 18, 2010)

Maybe someone in the *moderator section can DELETE this entire thread*, otherwise my F'd'Up thread topic line will have comments forever 
Sorry it was a error folks, my first, but an error none the less


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## ihopehefails (Mar 18, 2010)

The more companies that drop these socialist programs the better.  I will shop at walgreens more often.


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## Ravi (Mar 18, 2010)

Sounds more like the drug companies are screwing people, but don't let your blinders get in your way.


> Washington was reimbursing pharmacies 86 percent of the average wholesale price until July, when it began paying just 84 percent. DSHS estimated that could save the state about $10 million.
> 
> A company that calculates the average wholesale price was accused in a Massachusetts lawsuit of fraudulently inflating its figures. In a September settlement, the company did not acknowledge wrongdoing but agreed to reduce its figures by about 4 percent.
> 
> Walgreens said many private insurance providers have adjusted their reimbursement rates to lessen the effect of the settlement, but Washington's Medicaid program has not.


Walgreens cuts off new Medicaid patients in Washington state, citing reimbursement rates | OregonLive.com


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## jillian (Mar 18, 2010)

Gatekeeper said:


> *It's Beginning Already!!*
> 
> Walgreens: no new Medicaid patients as of April 16 in Washington state
> 
> ...



This has nothing to do with health care reform. It's an ongoing issue, as your link acknowledges, having to do with the amounts of medicaid reimbursement. 

And if you DO actually read, you'd know that they aren't doing ANYTHING to people who have MEDICAID NOW. They aren't accepting NEW Medicaid patients.

perhaps its time to un-do what the last admin did and get rid of whatever it is that keeps medicaid/medicare from negotiating price with the pharmaceutical companies.


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## ihopehefails (Mar 18, 2010)

JimH52 said:


> Gatekeeper said:
> 
> 
> > xotoxi said:
> ...



Your parents gave birth at least once...


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## ihopehefails (Mar 18, 2010)

Ravi said:


> Sounds more like the drug companies are screwing people, but don't let your blinders get in your way.
> 
> 
> > Washington was reimbursing pharmacies 86 percent of the average wholesale price until July, when it began paying just 84 percent. DSHS estimated that could save the state about $10 million.
> ...



Not really be*c*ause there was n*o* obligation for walgreens to take care of the*m*.   I know you think that everyone should take care of you but but they are not.   Co*m*panies are not obligated to you beyond what they agreed to give yo*u*.   In fact, no o*n*e is obligated to you beyond what they agree to g*i*ve you.   Without that agreement you can't claim anyone is *s*crewing you over at any *t*ime.


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## Ravi (Mar 18, 2010)

ihopeyoudiesoon said:


> Ravi said:
> 
> 
> > Sounds more like the drug companies are screwing people, but don't let your blinders get in your way.
> ...


What does that have to do with what I posted?


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## Murf76 (Mar 18, 2010)

This is actually a very interesting story.  It's the negative impact of government price control in miniature. 

Here's Ed Morrissey's take.  Read the whole post.  He does an excellent job of using this little microcosm to explain why government interference in the matter of price always ends in market failure.  Bear in mind that we're already seeing this effect in the cost of our healthcare because government is the payer for almost half our citizens. 

Excerpt:


> The reimbursement policy comes from an impulse to control costs by controlling prices.  This shows the inevitable result of such policies.  When price controls get used, they do nothing to reduce actual costs for providers.  The drugs cost Walgreens the same amount to buy for Medicaid patients as they do for everyone else.  Instead of lowering the actual cost, it pushes Walgreens to either hike prices for everyone else or to remove themselves from the marketplace, causing scarcities in the provider chain.  Either Walgreens and Bartell have to make their other customers subsidize their losses, or they have to stop conducting money-losing business.
> 
> (more...)
> 
> Hot Air  Blog Archive  Walgreens says no to new WA Medicaid customers


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## uscitizen (Mar 18, 2010)

Gatekeeper said:


> *It's Beginning Already!!*
> 
> Walgreens: no new Medicaid patients as of April 16 in Washington state
> 
> ...



Medicaid and medicare are different things.

I knew I did not like Walgreens for some reason.

btw 2 new drug stores have opened in my town in the last year.
That brings the total counting Krogers, wal mart and K mart to about 10 for a town of 15,000.

Perhaps they overexpand too much?


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## Maple (Mar 18, 2010)

Sarah G said:


> xotoxi said:
> 
> 
> > The title of your thread is misleading...am I missing something?
> ...



It's Medicaid they are dumping and it won't be long until they dump medicare. For all you liberals who just can't wait for the government to take over health care. Guess who runs both medicaid and medicare???? Answer- the government.:lo




Effective April 16, Walgreens drugstores across the state won't take any new Medicaid patients, saying that filling their prescriptions is a money-losing proposition  the latest development in an ongoing dispute over Medicaid reimbursement.


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## Maple (Mar 18, 2010)

uscitizen said:


> Gatekeeper said:
> 
> 
> > *It's Beginning Already!!*
> ...




Medicare is for people 65 and older, medicaid is for younger poor people. I would not be too down on Walgreen's they are a company who employs hundreds of thousands of people who have health care benefits. They are entitled to re-payment from medicaid from the government. THEY EARNED IT.  It's just a matter of time before all those others you mentioned will be dumping medicaid too. Then on to medicare.


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## Zona (Mar 18, 2010)

JW Frogen said:


> Walmart is an import company for China.
> 
> Just say no.



And fox is co owned by a saudi prince.  Eh, whatya gonna do?


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## Political Junky (Mar 18, 2010)

Private insurance will never go broke. Executives making $billions, and charging ever increasing $ from their customers. It's fun to watch Cons who make $40,000. a year defending the "big boys", and gladly writing them bigger checks every year.


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## oreo (Mar 19, 2010)

Gatekeeper said:


> Maybe someone in the *moderator section can DELETE this entire thread*, otherwise my F'd'Up thread topic line will have comments forever
> Sorry it was a error folks, my first, but an error none the less




That's O.K--sometimes we all do it.  Anyway we're talking about Medicade--now in the article--& I don't know if anyone else noticed this but ME-- it states:



> "In a news release, Walgreens said its decision to not take new Medicaid patients stemmed from a "continued reduction in reimbursement" under the state's Medicaid program, which reimburses it at less than the break-even point for 95 percent of *brand-name* medications dispensed to Medicaid patents."



_Does this mean that "government" is spending more of our money for brand name prescription drugs--versus going with generic medications that are cheaper?_

In another note--I really don't blame Walgreens for this.  To keep their doors open they must make a profit to pay employees.  Not rocket science here.

_But--who I do blame is the pharmacutical industry who is responsible for driving medical insurance rates through the roof--with all of the new drugs they have pushed on us for the last several years.  New pills for restless leg syndrome, all of the erectile dysfunction pills, pills for any new mental complaint from A to Z.  So who's profiting?  The pharmacutical industry that manufactures all this crap._   Anthem/Blue Cross/Blue Shield gave me a 2 minute recorded message as to why my insurance rates increased 30% because of all these new pills.


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## oreo (Mar 19, 2010)

Political Junky said:


> Private insurance will never go broke. Executives making $billions, and charging ever increasing $ from their customers. It's fun to watch Cons who make $40,000. a year defending the "big boys", and gladly writing them bigger checks every year.




Again, it's not the insurance companies it's the pharmacutical industry in this country.  I called Anthem/blue/cross/blue/shield a couple of months to ago to complain about my 30% increase.   I listened to a 2 minute recorded apology--with the message that all of these new pills that the pharmactucial companies have been pushing on us for several years now have driven medical insurance rates through the ROOF.  New pills for "restless leg syndrome"--erectile dysfunction pills, depression, & all kinds of new chronic medical complaints that even me at my age never even heard of.

Americans go running to their doctors to get a prescription for restless leg syndrome & guess what?   It drives "your" insurance rates UP.

Now--what was that deal that Obama made with the pharmacutical companies over the health care bill.  Anyone know about that one.   I would sure like to know what it was.


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## Claudette (Mar 19, 2010)

Whatever it was. It will make them money. 

You can take that right on down to the bank.


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## uscitizen (Mar 19, 2010)

So it is a state issue with medicaid reimbursements?


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## NYcarbineer (Mar 19, 2010)

Walgreen is the typical modern day American drugstore.  Junk food and booze up front, healthcare products in the back.


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## Zona (Mar 20, 2010)

political junky said:


> private insurance will never go broke. Executives making $billions, and charging ever increasing $ from their customers. It's fun to watch cons who make $40,000. A year defending the "big boys", and gladly writing them bigger checks every year.



qfmft.


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