Why should consumers care about mandatory mail-order prescriptions?
Mandatory mail-order rules affect consumers in several serious ways: • Healthcare quality suffers. Community pharmacists are the most accessible healthcare professionals. If we are not allowed to counsel you on how to properly take medications or monitor other medications for possible interactions – including over-the-counter drugs and herbal remedies – lives could be in jeopardy. • Consumer choice is trampled. Mandatory mail order not only eliminates consumer choice, it also kills off the competition. Instead of being able to shop at 2,000 community pharmacies in Michigan, consumers are given only one option – an out-of-state mail order facility. • The Michigan economy will be weakened. Hundreds of Michigan community pharmacies could be forced to close, costing the state jobs and lost tax revenues.
