Sick of Waiting for Your Meds? New Law Will Increase Supplies

It may soon be much easier for patients to avoid co-payments and obtain larger supplies of their prescription medication from local pharmacies, thanks to the efforts of Senator Simcha Felder (Brooklyn) and Assemblyman Michael Simanowitz (Queens). The effort is designed to improve medication compliance, lower medical costs for New Yorkers, and make it easier for residents to maintain the necessary supplies of their medications.

Currently, people who are on long-term medications must return to pharmacies once a month or use mail-order pharmacies to refill their prescriptions. This can prove to be a costly and troublesome trip, which has resulted in a decrease in adherence to medication.

Ninety day refills have shown to increase a patient’s adherence to their medication by 15% and reduce costs, but existing law does not allow local pharmacies to offer 90-day refills. The new legislation would allow local pharmacies to fill prescriptions, provided that the medication is not a controlled substance and that the patient’s doctor is in agreement.

“The only opposition I expect to this law is from on-line pharmacies, and most of those are in Canada” said Senator Felder. “This is common-sense legislation that protects vulnerable New Yorkers, particularly the elderly and those with chronic illnesses.”

“The passage of this legislation is a huge win for public health and New York State,” said Assemblyman Simanowitz. “New Yorkers will now be able to obtain life-saving medication from their own pharmacies while keeping medical costs low. I am hopeful that Governor Cuomo will do the right thing for our patients and sign this bill into law.”