Senators Moran, Brown headline NCPA's Legislative Conference

Several U.S. senators and representatives are speaking at the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) Legislative Conference, which will be held May 7-9 in Washington, D.C.

Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), co-founder of the first Senate Community Pharmacy Caucus, will speak to the group. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) will also be speaking. He is a sponsor of bills that would expand coverage for medication therapy management, address drug shortages, and increase penalties for pharmacy robberies.

Speakers from the U.S. House include:

Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.), chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee, which oversees Medicare and healthcare costs.

Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), senior Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health, which oversees Medicaid and FDA.

Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ariz.), who also serves on the Subcommittee on Health and is co-chair of the House Community Pharmacy Caucus.

Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.), lead sponsor of H.R. 1936, which would allow seniors with Medicare to continue relying on their community pharmacy for diabetes testing supplies.

“We commend these members of Congress for supporting patients’ access to independent community pharmacies. Our members look forward to … talking face-to-face about how Medicaid cuts, MAC pricing, abusive audits, mandatory mail order, and other issues are hurting small business pharmacies and pharmacists’ ability to serve their patients,” B. Douglas Hoey, RPh, CEO of NCPA, said in a news release.