Congress has a real opportunity in the coming weeks to give Medicare beneficiaries access to pharmacist-provided care that their own states already allow. I am writing to update you on where the Main Street Pharmacy Access Act / Ensuring Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act (H.R. 3164 / S. 2426) stands, to share new resources that show how strongly Americans support it, and to ask for your help making sure lawmakers hear from the people they represent.

This bipartisan legislation, led in the House by Reps. Adrian Smith (R-NE), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), and Doris Matsui (D-CA) and in the Senate by Sens. John Thune (R-SD) and Mark Warner (D-VA), would enable seniors in Medicare to receive pharmacist-provided testing and treatment for certain common respiratory conditions, such as flu and strep throat, in states that already authorize pharmacists to provide these services. Many other Americans can already access this care, but seniors miss out because pharmacists are overlooked as eligible healthcare providers in the Social Security Act. The bill is a pragmatic fix that would improve access to timely care, ease pressure on emergency rooms, urgent care clinics, and physician offices, and help prevent avoidable and costly hospitalizations.

The legislation has built steady momentum this year. The House Ways and Means Committee advanced H.R. 3164 by a voice vote in May, and the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health held a hearing on the bill on September 15. In total, 176 members of Congress, almost one-third of both chambers, have cosponsored it, and more than 170 organizations support it, including senior and rural advocacy groups, patient advocacy organizations, pharmacists, and health systems. We are grateful to every lawmaker who has helped bring this legislation so far.

Our goal now is passage before the end of this Congress. Government funding runs through December 11, and the weeks following the November 3 elections will bring funding and possibly other legislative items to the forefront. H.R. 3164 / S. 2426 is well-positioned for inclusion in [ READ MORE ]