CVS slashes lobbying costs by 13%

By PBN Staff

WOONSOCKET – CVS Caremark Corp. reduced its lobbying expenditures by 13 percent in the third quarter, according to The Associated Press.

CVS cuts its costs to $2.2 million from $2.6 million in the third quarter of 2011. It spent $2.3 million in the 2011 second quarter.

It lobbied Congress, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the AP said, citing a form filed Oct. 20 with the U.S. House of Representatives clerk’s office.

CVS focused on issued related to:

• Prescription drug costs.

• Pharmacy benefits management laws that would require pricing and contract information disclosure.

• Corporate tax rates.

• Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit.

• Medicare and Medicaid plan design and cost savings.

• Disclosures of protected health information.

• Proposals that would change the delivery schedule for the U.S. Post Office.

• Health insurance regulations.

• Laws related to mail order prescriptions and generic drugs, drug safety and antitrust exemptions for pharmacies.