Saying their members have been locked out and patients are suffering, the Florida Pharmacy Association joined others in a suit filed Thursday in Leon County circuit court to stop the Agency for Health Care Administration from restricting which pharmacies are allowed to serve Medicaid and Florida Healthy Kids patients.
A coalition of pharmacy groups, individual pharmacies, chains and patients called on the courts to immediately stop restricting where Medicaid patients can get their medications filled.
The suit comes after many pharmacies received letters from managed care provider Amerigroup Florida in May saying they would no longer be allowed to fill Medicaid prescriptions after July 9.
Plaintiffs in the case say the restriction violates state and federal Medicaid rules that require patients to be given a choice on where they pick up their medications.
Responding to complaints, AHCA officials in June defended the restrictions, saying Americagroup remained in compliance with state and federal law. The lawsuit followed.
