Staffing and equipment reductions ordered by the new postmaster general have significantly slowed mail-order drug deliveries, according to a new report from Senate Democrats.
Such findings refute Louis DeJoy’s claims that his cost-cutting moves “should not have impacted anybody.” If accurate, the allegations suggest that many thousands of home care recipients experienced drug-delivery delays.
Making the problem even more acute is that mail orders for prescription medications have risen by more than 20% during the current pandemic. While many delays were only a day or two, some – particularly in rural areas – were much longer, the authors found.
“I blame the postmaster general for delays in prescription deliveries that put the health of the American people at risk,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). She co-authored a letter to the Postal Service Board of Governors urging a quick response to “reverse these lapses in services.”
A spokesman for the Postal Service said the agency’s workforce has been hampered by the COVID-19 crisis.
