Guest: Lawmakers should oppose mail-order rules that raise costs for vulnerable Oklahomans
As rural letter carriers, we’re proud to connect Oklahomans. From the very rural city of Mangum where a rural letter carrier drives 176 miles every day, to the suburban city of Catoosa where a rural letter carrier drives 3.2 miles, and everything in between, rural letter carriers are proud to provide the services and supplies Oklahomans rely on each and every day. This is especially important for families in rural areas that can’t access certain necessities within their local communities. Letters from loved ones, grocery deliveries, home delivery prescription drugs — we transport them all with care to Oklahomans outside metropolitan areas.
The Postal Service’s universal service obligation mandates the Postal Service provides efficient and affordable delivery to every citizen, everywhere, every day. But a recently approved proposed regulation change by the Oklahoma Board of Pharmacy could create a set of new rules regarding the home delivery of medications that would severely limit our ability to bring life-saving prescriptions to rural families. These regulations would require all medicines to be shipped in temperature-controlled packages — an excessive, unnecessary mandate, given that pharmacies offering home delivery of prescriptions already comply with industry shipping standards.
The Postal Service has safely delivered medication to Americans for decades, despite the fact that it does not possess temperature-controlled vehicles. But this new rule would eliminate the Postal Service as an alternative, safe and cheaper delivery option, to deliver medications. It would increase the cost of home delivery of prescription drugs by up to $23 per package, unfairly imposing higher costs onto already vulnerable lower-income and rural Oklahomans.
These proposed rules will disproportionately affect Oklahomans who rely on home delivery of prescriptions due to limited mobility or lack of transportation options. A large number of elderly people, veterans, disabled and otherwise disadvantaged residents live in rural areas across the great state of Oklahoma. Their livelihoods and quality of life depend on receiving prescription medications in the mail delivered by rural letter carriers. By targeting home delivery pharmacies, this rule would interrupt continuity of care and threaten recipients’ well-being. In addition, making this rule more problematic, is how this rule only impacts the “last mile delivery” between the pharmacy and patient. The proposed rules target local delivery while completely ignoring the rest of the pharmacy delivery network; from drug manufacturers to wholesalers, and wholesalers to pharmacies.
If these rules pass, Oklahoma would be the only state to regulate prescription home delivery in this way, and it would impact mail service across the entire state. Rather than impose misguided and unnecessary red tape, our state legislators should consider the significant impact this would have on our ability to safely and affordably bring prescription drugs to people already at a disadvantage of accessing care.
We urge lawmakers to oppose these rules and take a stand for patient safety and affordable prescription drug access.
Delonna Callaway is the Oklahoma state president of the Rural Letter Carriers Association.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Guest: Oklahoma legislators should oppose new mail-order rules
