Pharmacist's Headache (Drug plan promotes Walmart :grr:

[wakeme2008]

http://www.tampatrib.com/MGB597UAZIE.html

Jan 28, 2006
Pharmacist's Headache
By CAROL GENTRY
[e-mail]

TAMPA - When Randi Silva of Largo got her Medicare prescription drug card in the mail, she saw seven pharmacy logos stamped across the bottom of the Humana card.

Rite-Aid was there; so was CVS. Most prominent was Wal-Mart.

Silva, whose prescriptions were paid through Florida Medicaid until this month, assumed she had to use one of the pharmacy companies on the Humana card. That meant she would have to say goodbye to her friends at Lincourt Pharmacy in Clearwater.

"Lincourt has been so good to me," said Silva, 45. "I was devastated."

Many tears and phone calls later, Silva learned that she can continue to use Lincourt Pharmacy. In fact, Humana will pay for her to get prescriptions filled at any of 53,000 pharmacies in the nation that are part of its Medicare Part D network.

..more at link....

[tanyev]

1. I doubt anyone here will be surprised.

I know I'm not.

[DeepModem Mom]

2. Then why are the logos of certain pharmacies on the card?

What's up with that?

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

3. Marketing...

The companies pay to get their logo put on the card, sort of like NASCAR drivers and their cars. Which gives me a great idea -- why don't we sell advertising space elsewhere? How about a big Halliburton logo on the from of an Abrams tanks as it smashes through the streets of Fallujah? There's money to be made here, I'm sure.

[Orangepeel]

4. I can think of a benign reason

I don't know whether or not the government sold advertising on the card. They certainly might have.

But, someone honestly could have been trying to be helpful, thinking seniors would be happy to know that all the most popular pharmacies accepted the card.

on edit: I'm naive enough to think that there are still a few nice people in the government, at least the career ones (not political appointees)

[Not Me]

5. Florida actively promotes Walmart

in its citrus protection programs. If citrus canker disease if found on a tree, all trees within 1900 feet are to be cut down and burned. The homeowner is given compensation in the form of a $50 voucher to be redeemed at WALMART garden center.
Somebody cut a sweet deal.

[FlaGranny]

6. Except that is now defunct.

No more money for it. My 4 trees were scheduled to be destroyed last April - no canker. Now I get to keep them. I wrote a nasty letter to the state about the Walmart deal. Told them they should be utilizing local nurseries, not Walmart. You can imagine the response I got to that.

Edit: My trees were so damaged by the hurricanes that they might have to come down anyway only now I'll have to pay for it.