John Rice Carter: “I thank the gentleman for his service to our country and for his interest in this subject. It is extremely important…”

“I thank the gentleman for his service to our country and for his interest in this subject. It is extremely important, and we appreciate his leadership. Mr. Speaker, again, I want to share with you some of the comments that we have gotten in our office. From Rick P: My neighborhood pharmacy is 5 minutes away and is the only one in town. But now, with changes, I have to go 30 minutes to and from the nearest pharmacy in the next town. That is not right. I have been going to the same pharmacy for 22 years, and they know my medical problems and prescriptions I take. This is the way we are going to treat our veterans. This is the way we are going to treat our veterans' families. From Bob S. In Gainesville: I am retired Air Force. My wife and I live in Gainesville, Georgia. We currently use Express Scripts mail order pharmacy, or VA mail order when possible. My wife has insurance through her employer which makes her ineligible for Express Scripts mail order. It also means she can only use three pharmacies that accept both insurance. We find-- Listen to this, Mr. Speaker. We find ourselves driving 3 hours one way so we do not have to pay $2,000 out of pocket each month for her medications. Now, with fewer pharmacies accepting TRICARE, we will probably have to make the trip more often. Wow, what a promise we are keeping to these veterans.…”