Pharmacies May Close After Louisiana Medicaid Cuts

Can't stay open if they're losing money

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Community pharmacists said changes to Medicaid reimbursement rules don't address their complaints that the cuts could jeopardize their ability to remain open.

The state's health secretary, Bruce Greenstein, said last week that revisions made in response to pharmacies' complaints should quell the backlash. But The Advocate reports  the complaints hadn't disappeared Monday.

Louisiana Independent Pharmacies Association President Randal Johnson called the amended plan, set to begin Thursday, horrible. Johnson said what had been a 19 percent cut will now be about a 16.5 percent cut, which he said is too steep to absorb.