With federal tax legislation now approved, ASHP is urging House and Senate leaders to take up key pharmacy priorities — including Medicare coverage for pharmacist services and new protections for pharmacy residency funding.
In a July 9 letter to congressional leaders, Tom Kraus, ASHP’s vice president of government relations, outlined legislation aimed at improving access to pharmacy services, lowering medication costs, bolstering the supply chain and the workforce, and safeguarding funding necessary for pharmacists to care for patients.
Near the top of the list is the Ensuring Community Access to Pharmacist Services (ECAPS) Act, long a priority for ASHP and our pharmacy organization partners.
Seniors are often denied coverage for pharmacist-provided care since Medicare does not recognize pharmacists as providers, Kraus noted. ECAPS would ensure Medicare patients have access to testing, vaccination, and treatment services for respiratory infections that pharmacists are authorized by their states to provide.
ASHP is also pushing for Congress to protect funding for residency programs by passing the Rebuild America’s Health Care Schools Act. This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to clarify the requirements health systems must meet to receive reimbursement for operating pharmacy, nursing, and allied health residency programs.
The letter calls for Congress to pass several other bills, including:
- The Biosimilar Red Tape Elimination Act, which would eliminate the requirement for switching studies, allowing pharmacists to dispense these safe and effective products to patients at lower costs than their reference products
- The 340B PATIENTS Act, which would prohibit discrimination against 340B contract pharmacies
- The Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Reauthorization Act, which would fund initiatives and programs aimed at reducing occupational burnout in the healthcare workforce
In addition, ASHP is pressing Congress to work on legislation that would reimburse physicians for services provided by pharmacists on care teams; address pharmacy benefit manager abuses; and improve patient access to medications for opioid use disorder.
“Now is the time for Congress to act on pharmacist priorities,” Kraus said. “We encourage members to reach out to their representatives, and we can work together to make sure the pharmacy workforce has what it needs to provide the best care for our patients.”
