More Than 190 Groups Applaud Federal Legislation to Ensure Senior Access To Essential Pharmacist Services
Bipartisan legislation (H.R. 1770/S. 2477) would provide payment for essential pharmacist services under Medicare Part B and ensure pharmacists can continue to protect vulnerable senior communities.
PHARMACISTS ARE THE FIRST & MOST ACCESSIBLE HEALTH CARE PROVIDER
Nine in 10 Americans live within five miles of a pharmacy, and patients visit their community pharmacist twice as frequently as they visit primary care physicians.
PHARMACISTS STRENGTHEN OUR NATION’S PUBLIC HEALTH RESPONSE
Pharmacists in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program alone have administered more than 301 million COVID-19 vaccine doses as of March 2023. Pharmacists provided over 50 million influenza and other vaccinations since the beginning of the pandemic.
PHARMACISTS HELP KEEP SENIOR & RURAL COMMUNITIES HEALTHY
More than half pharmacists (55%) work in a community based setting and 77% of community pharmacies serve population areas of 50,000 or fewer.
PHARMACISTS AVERTED ONE MILLION DEATHS & HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS IN COSTS
The 350 million clinical interventions to approximately 150 million people that pharmacists have provided during the pandemic averted over one million COVID-19 deaths, eight million hospitalizations, and $450 billion in health care costs.