Rep. David Kustoff visits Tennessee Health Mart pharmacy

8/12/2019
As part of a week long visit across Tennessee to discuss policy initiatives and the problems that healthcare providers are facing, Congressman David Kustoff last Friday stopped at Health Care Pharmacy in Jackson, Tenn.

He met with Matt Baker, owner of Health Care Pharmacy, which is a Health Mart pharmacy. Baker worked closely with the National Association of Chain Drug Stores to coordinate the visit.

The visit, which was reported by ABC affiliate WBBJ, said that Baker spoke to Kustoff about fees from insurance companies and how they’re hurting businesses such as his.

“We can take things off of insurance, save the patient money, whereas the chains cannot,” Baker said. “The fees are really taking a toll on the patients. You’re overcharging the patient up front, whereas if I knew what I was getting paid at the point of sale, I could save the patient money.”

Kustoff also spoke about the opioid crisis and how pharmacies are combating it, thanks to recent laws.

“Where they may have in the past written a prescription for 10 pills or 30 pills, now they may be cutting back to three to five,” Kustoff said.

“I would say it has definitely helped curb the prescriptions coming out of the ER and the dentist,” Baker said.

Kustoff also mentioned his piece of legislation called the “STEER Act,” which targets pill presses and medication on the street, the report said.
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