ERIC Urges CMS to Reconsider Restrictive Requirements on Part D Automatic Prescription Refills

ERIC, along with several other employer business groups, on June 11 wrote to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services urging the agency to reconsider unnecessarily restrictive requirements on automatic prescription refill programs under Medicare Part D. 

The group letter expresses concern over a proposed change that would require Part D plans to retain, and mail order pharmacies to obtain, patient consent prior to delivery of each new or refilled prescription.  The letter notes that the organizations represent many employers who sponsor retiree prescription drug plans and Employer Group Waiver Plans where automatic refill programs are widely used to ensure retirees are following the drug maintenance protocols prescribed by their doctors.

The group suggests that CMS consider alternative proposals such as written or electronic consent when patients opt-in to an automatic refill program, with the opportunity for beneficiaries to opt-out of an automatic refill program entirely.

Group Letter to CMS