Smith, Schneider, Harshbarger, Matsui, Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Expand Seniors’ Healthcare Options

Washington, DC - Reps. Adrian Smith (R-NE), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), and Doris Matsui (D-CA), introduced the Ensuring Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act. The members released the following statements:

"Giving seniors more options to meet their healthcare needs is a valuable way to improve outcomes for patients," said Rep. Smith. "Pharmacists are trusted, key partners in seniors' care, particularly in rural communities where health provider availability is limited. Allowing greater flexibility for treatment of common respiratory illnesses is a commonsense solution to increase access to care. I thank Reps. Schneider, Harshbarger, and Matsui for partnering with me on this important legislation."

"Pharmacists have long played a crucial role delivering quality health care to Americans, including helping prevent the spread of infectious disease," said Rep. Schneider. "We need to empower pharmacists to continue providing care to seniors and receiving reimbursement for services related to COVID-19, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and strep throat. I'm proud to work on this important initiative with my colleague on the Ways and Means Committee, Congressman Adrian Smith."

"This bipartisan legislation will modernize Medicare and help ensure our seniors - especially those in rural and medically underserved communities - have timely access to healthcare from the most trusted health professionals in their communities," said Rep. Harshbarger.

"Our pharmacies are directly in the heart of our communities, providing frontline care and services to those who need it most," said Rep. Matsui. "Time and again, pharmacists have stepped up to meet public health threats and administer vaccines, tests, and other critical services that keep Americans healthy. That's why we must make sure they have the federal support they need to continue this work. The Ensuring Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act would ensure that Medicare patients can continue to access these services well into the future."

The Ensuring Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act would provide for Medicare coverage of pharmacist-administered tests for common respiratory illnesses, such as influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), strep throat, and COVID-19. It would also allow pharmacists to prescribe treatments for these illnesses when properly indicated. These flexibilities were initially provided during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) through various emergency waivers but have since lapsed. The Ensuring Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act would not preempt existing state scope of practice laws regarding the ability of pharmacists to legally perform these services.

The legislation is supported by the Future of Pharmacy Care Coalition. Coalition members include the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), Abbott, AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, CVS Health, Good Neighbor Pharmacy, Health Mart, Kroger, McKesson, Medicine Shoppe, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS), Walgreens, and Walmart. The coalition released the following statement on the legislation:

"The Future of Pharmacy Care Coalition commends Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE), Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL), Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), and Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA) for introducing the Ensuring Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act (ECAPS) to ensure seniors, including those living in rural areas and vulnerable communities, can turn to their local pharmacists for testing and treatment services that can protect them from certain common respiratory conditions. Congress must move quickly and provide seniors with Medicare coverage in states where pharmacists can offer testing and treatment services for conditions that, although common, can quickly become life-threatening if not properly managed."

Read the bill here.

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