Seniors in Medicare are deprived of access to pharmacist-provided services that state laws already allow, because pharmacists are overlooked as eligible healthcare providers in the Social Security Act. H.R. 3164 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.

H.R. 3164 would formally recognize pharmacists as healthcare providers under Medicare for these services — a long-overdue acknowledgment of the essential role pharmacies play in their communities and a critical step toward sustaining patient access to pharmacist-provided care.

Support among Congressional lawmakers for H.R. 3164, and its companion legislation in the Senate (S. 2426), is notable, as more than a quarter of the Congress has already co-sponsored the legislation in their respective chambers. NACDS and the Future of Pharmacy Care Coalition support H.R. 3164 / S. 2426, along with more than 170 organizations — including rural and senior advocacy groups, provider groups, patient advocacy organizations, pharmacists, health systems, and others.

Take action now. Urge your Representative to co-sponsor H.R. 3164 and call on Congressional leadership to advance this legislation to enactment so that seniors can access timely, pharmacist-provided care where state law already allows.