NACDS has just received the results of a poll conducted among TRICARE beneficiaries by Morning Consult and commissioned by NACDS, and the results support the case for the TRICARE Acquisition Cost Parity Pilot Program for Retail Pharmacy.
The pilot program relates directly to the ability of military families and veterans to choose to obtain their prescription medications from retail pharmacies, rather than being forced to use mail order or military treatment facilities.
The survey results demonstrate significant trust among TRICARE beneficiaries for health advice provided by pharmacists. They also reveal that TRICARE beneficiaries see retail pharmacies as more convenient access points for prescription medications, compared with mail-order and military health facilities.
The trustworthiness and convenience of pharmacies and pharmacists likely contribute to these additional findings:
- Nine-in-ten TRICARE beneficiaries agree with the statement: “It is important that military family and veteran benefits can be accessed at local and private establishments, not just military health facilities.”
- Six-in-ten TRICARE beneficiaries indicated that the ability to choose to fill prescriptions at retail would have a positive impact on the health of TRICARE beneficiaries.
Beyond these poll results, you also may have seen that NACDS recently thanked 21 U.S. Senators and 67 U.S. Representatives who wrote to Secretary of Defense James Mattis, urging implementation of the pilot program. All of these developments help to continue the narrative of this Pilot Program’s importance to the health and wellbeing of military families and veterans, as well as to healthcare cost-savings—including those that result from healthier beneficiaries.
