To the editor: I applaud California’s daring transfer to supply CalRx-branded insulin at decrease costs (“Cheaper insulin will quickly be accessible via California’s state prescription program,” Oct. 16). However for this effort to succeed, the state should handle the middlemen and supply-chain pressures that usually erase affected person financial savings.
Whereas pharmacies will purchase a five-pack for $45 and promote at $55, pharmacy profit managers can nonetheless impose hidden charges or restrictive contracts that shift prices again to the affected person or squeeze small pharmacies. Many unbiased pharmacies in California have already closed after being reimbursed at lower than value, creating entry deserts.
To safeguard CalRx, the state ought to require transparency in profit administration practices and honest pharmacy reimbursement. Senate Invoice 41 is an efficient begin. California’s insulin initiative is a superb step ahead, modeling an strategy that will succeed nationwide if it protects each sufferers and pharmacies that serve them.
Padmashree Muralidharan, San Diego
