Americans relying on delivery of prescription medications suffered significant delays because of the operational changes since Louis DeJoy took over as postmaster general earlier this year, according to a Senate report released Thursday.
Five major U.S. pharmacy companies said their customers saw an increase in average delivery time from 18% to 32%.
“Deliveries that would typically take 2 to 3 days were instead taking 3 to 4 days,” according to the report conducted by Democrat Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bob Casey.
More than 170 million prescriptions were filled by mail in 2019. That number has increased 20% because of the coronavirus pandemic, officials said.
The findings and a request to remove DeJoy were sent to the Postal Service Board of Governors.
“The findings of this investigation ... reveal that in recent months there have been significant delays in USPS delivery of mail-order prescription drugs, potentially jeopardizing the health of millions of Americans and increasing costs and complications for mail-order pharmacy deliveries,” officials said in the report.
The Postal Service said delays were caused because of impacts related to the coronavirus pandemic and the agency is working to return to normal performance levels, CNN reported.
“We are aggressively working to ensure full-service coverage across the network, including increasing hiring based on local needs and improving process flows,” Postal Service spokesperson Dave Partenheimer told CNN.
Cox Media Group
