A CITY ORDINANCE WAS REPEALED TO
ALLOW THE SALE OF LIQUOR THROUGH
DRIVE-THRUS THROUGHOUT
THE CITY...
THE CITY ALSO APPOINTED A NEW
POLICE CHIEF... AND HE'S A
FAMILIAR FACE...
JOE CAMPBELL WAS APPOINTED
TONIGHT BUT HE HAS BEEN SERVING
AS INTERIM CHIEF SINCE
SEPTEMBER OF LAST YEAR...
IN TOTAL CAMPBELL HAS BEEN
SERVING THE NIXA POLICE
DEPARTMENT FOR OVER SIXTEEN
YEARS...
HEATHER:
NOW A KOLR 10 NEWS
INVESTIGATION...
HEATHER:
WHEN YOU HEAR SOMEONE SAY...
PRESCRIPTION DRUGS... WHAT'S THE
FIRST THING THAT COMES TO MIND?
DAVID:
THE ANSWER FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE
WOULD BE --
15-PERCENT A
YEAR DURING THAT TIME
IN FACT RISING DRUG PRICES HAVE
OUT-PACED
ALL OTHER HEALTHCARE SPENDING IN
RECENT YEARS -- INCLUDING
NURSING HOME COSTS.
3-SHOT
HEATHER:
FOR THE NEXT THREE NIGHTS --
DAVID AND I,
ALONG WITH OUR POLITICAL ANALYST
BRIAN CALFANO WILL TAKE AN
IN-DEPTH LOOK AT THE PROBLEM AND
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS.
BRIAN:
IN 40 STATE'S PHARMACUTICAL
PRICING
BILLS ARE EITHER PENDING OR HAVE
ALREADY PASSED.
SO I'LL BE TALKING WITH MISSOURI
LAWMAKERS TO
HEAR WHAT CAN BE DONE
LEGISLATIVELY TO HELP BRING
PRICES DOWN FOR CONSUMERS.
HEATHER:
I'M EXPLORING THE BUSINESS ANGLE
-- AND
HOW COMPANIES BALANCE PROFIT --
WITH A PRIORITY OF PROVIDING
GOOD HEALTH COVERAGE.
DOL WALK TO 3-3
DAVID:
BUT WE BEGIN TONIGHT BY
CRUNCHING THE
NUMBERS -- SHARING THE COMMON
STORY OF ONE WOMAN WHO STRUGGLES
TO PAY FOR HER MONTHLY
MEDS -- AND WE'LL GIVE YOU A
house is on medications... they
all stay in this box.
KATHY LUTZ AND HER FAMILY LIVE
ON A FIXED
INCOME.
LUTZ HAS FACED CANCER -- HEART
FAILURE -- AND A
VARIETY OF MEDICAL ISSUES IN
RECENT YEARS.
AS A RESULT -- SHE'S ON 17
DIFFERENT
PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS.
(nat pop bite about meds she
takes)
SHE AND HER FAMILY QUALIFY FOR
HEALTH AND
PRESCRIPTION COVERAGE BY THE
STATE THROUGH A PROGRAM CALLED
MO-HEALTH-NET.
IF SHE DIDN'T HAVE THAT -- LUTZ
COULDN'T AFFORD
HER MONTHLY MEDS.
kathy lutz: 144320 the rough
total, not counting the over the
counter stuff, is 1187 dollars
and 35 cents. every month? yep?
LUTZ CALLS THE PRICE OF
PRESCIPTION DRUGS
OUTRAGEOUS -- AND WONDERS WHO'S
PROFITING FROM THE PAYMENTS.
kathy lutz: 144549 and i do
understand that a part of the
money that you are paying for
this drug, goes toward
researching other drugs. i
understand that. but there's an
upper end limit where common
sense tells you it's plain greed
on somebody's part.
SOME PEOPLE BLAME SKYROCKETING
COSTS ON
SOMETHING CALLED A PHARMACY
BENEFIT MANAGER. THAT'S A
COMPANY THAT MANAGES
PRESCRIPTION DRUG BENEFITS
THROUGH EMPLOYER SPONSORED
HEALTH INSURANCE PLANS.
P-B-M'S CLAIM TO SAVE YOU MONEY
BY NEGOTIATING DEEPER DISCOUNTS.
BUT SOME DRUG COMPANIES
SIMPLY RAISE PRICES TO OFFER
BIGGER DISCOUNTS TO THOSE
P-B-M'S. (says who????)
(GRAHPIC)
THESE NUMBERS FROM NATIONAL
HEALTH
EXPENDITURE DATA DON'T SEEM TO
SHOW DISCOUNTS OR LOWER PRICES
AT ALL. TOTAL SPENDING ON
PRESCRIPTION DRUGS IN THE UNITED
STATES WAS 333-BILLION DOLLARS
IN 2017. AN INCREASE OF 41-
states are really pushing back
against those pbm's. and it's
something that pharmacists are
talking about constantly.
BRANDI BOWERS IS A CLINICAL
PHARMACIST AT
THE M-S-U CARE CLINIC.
THIS FACILITY -- OPENED IN 2015
AS A PARTNERSHIP
BETWEEN MISSOURI STATE AND MERCY
-- IS ON THE FRONTLINE FOR
PEOPLE WHO CAN'T AFFORD
PRESCRIPTIONS.
THE CLINIC OFFERS FREE CARE TO
THOSE WITH NO
INSURANCE... THAT INCLUDES FREE
PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS.
brandi bowers: 143653 once they
are enrolled, any
medication that's on our
formulary, and we get
medications from several access
points, they can get for
free through our clinic.
BOWERS SAYS SOME PATIENTS AT THE
CLINIC
CAN NEED UPWARD OF 12 OR 13
PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS A
MONTH.
WHILE UNINSURED PATIENTS HERE
GET THOSE
MEDS FOR FREE -- THE COSTS CAN
ADD UP FAST FOR ANYONE.
brandi bowers: 143908 for a
patient who's managing several
chronic diseases that are fairly
common. if you start talking
about diabetes, and a heart
disease, that can add up,
easily,
out of pocket costs to over 1000
dollars.
jeff smith/salvation army:
131944 we get about 10 calls a
day from people needing help
with prescriptions.
JEFF SMITH WITH THE SALVATION
ARMY IN
SPRINGFIELD SAYS THE AGENCY HAS
OFFERED PRESCRIPTION ASSISTANCE
AS PART OF ITS
EMERGENCY SOCIAL SERVICES
PROGRAM FOR YEARS.
THERE'S NO INCOME CAP TO REQUEST
HELP FROM
THE SALVATION ARMY. THE
BENEFIT IS CAPPED AT 50- DOLLARS
PER PERSON, PER HOUSEHOLD, IF
YOU
QUALIFY AFTER SPEAKING WITH A
CASE MANAGER. HOWEVER, THE
PROGRAM WON'T PAY FOR NARCOTICS.
LAST YEAR 142 HOUSEHOLDS USED
THE
ARMY'S PRESCRIPTION PAYMENT
PROGRAM.
jeff smith: 131952 i've seen
people in tears. they say
they've gone everywhere else
they know to go to. they have
to get this prescription filled
otherwise x,y, z is going to
MEDICATIONS THEY NEED TO LIVE.
KATHY LUTZ SAYS THAT VERY
SCENARIO PROVED
FATAL FOR ONE OF HER OWN
NEIGHBORS.
kathy lutz: 144946 she ended
up dying because she couldn't
afford cancer treatment. and it
was a needless death because
there were medications that
could have slowed it down. but
because she couldn't afford
them, it breaks our heart.
DAVID:
THE PRESIDENT AND MEMBERS OF
CONGRESS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE
AISLE MAY TAKE SOME
ACTION THIS YEAR TO HELP LOWER
THE HIGH COST OF PRESCRIPTION
DRUGS.
ONE CONSIDERATION IS CAPPING OUT
OF POCKET- COSTS FOR PEOPLE
USING MEDICARE'S PART "D"
PRESCRIPTION DRUG PROGRAM.
WE'LL FOLLOW THOSE
DEVELOPMENTS...
HEATHER I KNOW YOU ARE TACKING
ANOTHER ANGLE TO THIS STORY
TOMORROW NIGHT...
HEATHER:
THAT'S RIGHT, SPRINGFIELD HAS A
WEALTH OF SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS,
BUT AS AN
EMPLOYER, IT CAN BE CHALLENGING
TO PROVIDE GOOD HEALTH