Druggists bombarded with TennCare questions

“They’ve turned me into a pharmacist-doctor-TennCare specialist,” said pharmacist Jeremy Swallows of Pikeville.

About 190,000 adults are being cut from the public health care program and another 380,000 people are seeing their benefits curtailed. The state is also seeking to limit benefits for 97,000 adults classified as medically needy, or the sickest enrollees.

Gov. Phil Bredesen has said he’s making cuts and reducing benefits because the state cannot afford the $8.7 billion program in its current form.

Before the cuts that took place Aug. 1, TennCare provided unlimited prescription coverage, but that has been cut to paying for two name brand and three generic drugs per month.

“We are making a lot of changes in the pharmacy benefit program right now. There is inherently going to be some confusion, and we recognize that,” TennCare spokesman Michael Drescher said. “We’ve stepped up our efforts in trying to let pharmacists know what’s coming.”

Medical Arts Pharmacy owner Nancy Reed said the state has not provided her enough information about TennCare benefit changes.

“Everything I’ve gotten here (about TennCare) has come from one of my customers,” she said.

Reed added that the cuts have slowed business so much for some pharmacies, they face serious financial risks.

“I’d say some pharmacies will be out of business because of it,” she said.

Bredesen has tried to soften the blow of the cuts with a safety net program that he recently expanded to let pharmacies provide free generic drugs to the disenrolled and provide four months of coverage for those who need insulin.

But advocates and some state lawmakers have said the state could have avoided cuts altogether by using TennCare’s reserves or by raising taxes, which the governor has strongly opposed.