In Massachusetts, Gov. Maura Healey (D) recently signed the budget into law, formally concluding pharmacy stakeholder fears of a $2 tax per prescription. NCPA worked with various stakeholders to oppose the pharmacy tax when it was first proposed in the governor’s budget. The proposal intended to bring down additional federal dollars that could increase Medicaid pharmacy dispensing fees, although there were never solid details. Besides the cash flow and administrative burdens of collecting taxes, NCPA warned about the improbability that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services would approve such a scheme, noting that the federal government has been cracking down on provider taxes. NCPA also worked with pharmacy stakeholders in Maine earlier this year to defeat a similar proposed tax of $0.70 per prescription, writing to legislators during the committee process and issuing a grassroots call to action. Kudos to the state associations and other stakeholders in Maine and Massachusetts who galvanized to stop these burdensome pharmacy taxes.
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