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Political advocacy is the number one reason community pharmacists join NCPA.
The professional political staff of the NCPA Government Affairs Department works to ensure that community pharmacists are well-represented in the legislative and regulatory processes.
AMP | Business Negotiations | Prompt Pay TRICARE | Tamper-Resistant Pads | DME
- Fact Sheet about the Congressional Community Pharmacy Coalition PDF (32k)
- Membership Roster for the Congressional Community Pharmacy Coalition PDF (61k)
- Congressional Community Pharmacy Coalition press call on Sept. 27, 2007 to discuss the formation and agenda with the group's co-chairs, Reps. Marion Berry (D-Ark.), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), and Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) WAV (7M)
The following legislation has been introduced in Congress. Please contact your member(s) of Congress and ask that they co-sponsor these bills.
AMP Press Releases:
- Press Release: Sens. Baucus, Lincoln, Salazar, Roberts, Cochran, Smith, Lott, and Lieberman Introduce Bill to Fix Disastrous Medicaid Generic Drugs Reimbursement Rule
- Press Release: Reps. Boyda, Emerson and 30 House Members Introduce Common-Sense Fixes to Medicaid Pharmacy Reimbursement Rule
AMP Audio Visuals:
- Patient Video: Government program restricts patient access to health care. What this means to you and what you can do about it.
- Pharmacy Video: Government program restricts patient access to health care by putting providers out of business. What this means to you and what you can do about it.
- Roll Call Ad: "36% below cost: It just doesn't add up for community pharmacy" Sept. 27, 2007 PDF (690k)
- Roll Call Ad: "How Will These Kids Get Their Medicines?" Sept. 5, 2007 PDF (811k)
- Telephone News Conference with Reps. Nancy Boyda (D-Kan.) and Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.) to discuss the introduction of the Saving Our Community Pharmacies Act of 2007 WAV (10M)
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) Medicaid Pharmacy Reimbursement Conference Call, July 11, 2007 WAV (15M)
AMP Reports & Other References:
Negotiation Rights Press Releases:
- Press Release: Senators Isakson, Johnson and Graham Introduce Bill Establishing Contract Fairness for Community Pharmacies and Their Patients
- Press Release: Community Pharmacy Fairness Act Introduced in House Bill Would Eliminate Take-It-Or-Leave-It Contracts
- Press Release: Give Community Pharmacies a Seat at the Bargaining Table
- H.R.1474 Bill Co-Sponsors
- S.1954 Bill Co-Sponsors
- Letter from NFIB requesting that Sens. Baucus and Grassley include additional prompt pay language from S. 1954 when working on a Medicare package PDF (404k)
- Letter discussing FAST act budget reconciliation PDF (719k)
- Letter from NFIB to Reps. Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer requesting support of H.R. 1474, Dec. 13, 2007 PDF (390k)
- Prompt Pay Fact Sheet: H.R.1474 & S.1954: Medicare Part D Prompt Pay
- Roll Call Ad: "Thank You!" from NCPA to the 224 House sponsors for H.R.1474, The Fair and Speedy Treatment (FAST) of Claims Act of 2007, and the 23 Senate sponsors of S.1954, The Pharmacy Access Improvement Act, Oct. 31, 2007 PDF (252k)
- H.R.1474: Fair and Speedy Treatment (FAST) of Medicare Prescription Drug Claims Act. Introduced by Reps. Marion Berry (D-Ark.), Stephanie Herseth (D-S.D.), Walter Jones (R-N.C.), and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), this bill is aimed at making common-sense improvements to the Medicare Part D prescription drug program by requiring pharmacy compensation from Part D prescription drug plans to occur within a reasonable timeframe and by eliminating plans’ confusing marketing practices that often mislead Medicare patients. PDF (46k)
- Prompt Payment and Medicare Part D: The Facts PDF (26k)
- Letter from Reps. Walter Jones and Marion Berry to Chairman Pete Stark about the University of Texas study PDF (62k)
- Conference Call: On Sept. 9, 2007, Reps. Marion Berry (D-Ark.) and Walter Jones (R-N.C.) discuss H.R.1474 and the University of Texas study on Medicare Part D payment delays. WAV (12M)
- Conference Call: Prompt Payment and Medicare Part D, June 13, 2007 WAV (9M)
- Press Release: Sens. Baucus And Grassley Introduce Bill Fixing Flaws In Medicare Part D Program
Update: On Saturday, September 29, 2007, President Bush signed the "Extenders Law," delaying the implementation date for all paper Medicaid prescriptions to be written on tamper-resistant paper. Under the new law, as of April 1, 2008, all written Medicaid prescriptions must be on tamper-resistant prescription pads.
CMS' guidance on the tamper-resistant law, set forth in an August 17, 2007 State Medicaid Director letter, contains two phases. For the first, a prescription must contain at least one of the three tamper-resistant characteristics in order to be considered "tamper resistant." For the second, prescriptions must contain all three characteristics.
The two-phased approach is still in effect. At least one of the three tamper-resistant characteristics is required on April 1, 2008. All three characteristics are required on October 1, 2008.
- Frequently asked questions (FAQs) compiled by NCPA, the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), and the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) PDF (604k)
- Announcement of Delay: Requirement of Tamper-Resistant Prescription Pads PDF (21k)
- Tamper-Resistant Prescription Pad FAQ PDF (28k)
- Letter to State Medicaid Directors: NCPDP Standardization Guidance Developed with NCPA Input, dated Feb. 1, 2008 PDF (524k)
- Letter to State Medicaid Directors: 90 Medical and Pharmacy Associations including NCPA, dated Jan. 2, 2008 PDF (1M)
- Factsheet entitled "Defense Authorization Act TRICARE Provisions" PDF (86k)
- Press Release entitled "NCPA Applauds Pharmacy Tricare Provisions in the Congressional Passage of the Defense Authorization Bill" (Dec. 17, 2007)
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