NACDS has long advocated for this legislation and continues to lead the case for ensuring seniors in Medicare can access the pharmacist-provided services their states already[...]

In case you missed it, the House Committee on Ways & Means yesterday released a "What They Are Saying" compilation highlighting broad support for the Main Street Pharmacy Access Act (H.R. 3164) - and NACDS was quoted on the critical importance of the legislation.

NACDS has long advocated for this legislation and continues to lead the case for ensuring seniors in Medicare can access the pharmacist-provided services their states already allow.

The bill would establish Medicare Part B coverage and reimbursement for essential pharmacist-provided services, including testing for and treatment of common respiratory conditions such as the flu and strep throat, in alignment with state scope-of-practice laws.

The House Committee on Ways & Means quoted NACDS President and CEO Steven C. Anderson as follows:

"The Main Street Pharmacy Access Act is a pragmatic, patient-centered solution that leverages pharmacy access for better health and cost-effective care. Today, seniors in Medicare are deprived of access to pharmacist-provided services that their state laws already allow, because pharmacists are overlooked as eligible healthcare providers in the Social Security Act. This gap disproportionately harms older adults, rural communities, and underserved populations who rely most on pharmacies as their accessible point of care. Pharmacies remain the most accessible healthcare destinations in the country, with a pharmacy located within five miles of 90 percent of Americans, and patients consistently rely on pharmacists for convenient, community-based care."

Several NACDS member companies were also quoted in the release - including Kroger, Walgreens, Walmart, Cencora, and McKesson - alongside the Future of Pharmacy Care Coalition and other stakeholder groups, reflecting strong, broad-based support for the legislation.