The American Society of Consultant Pharmacists commended the House Ways and Means Committee for advancing legislation that would expand Medicare beneficiaries’ access to pharmacist-provided services. The Main Street Pharmacy Access Act (H.R. 3164), previously called the Ensuring Community Access to Pharmacists Services Act, would add pharmacists to the Social Security Act as eligible providers while authorizing Medicare coverage for pharmacist-provided infectious disease testing and treatment for respiratory illnesses in states where laws permit such practice.
The legislation addresses a gap in Medicare access despite broader insurance coverage. Most states already provide these opportunities to people covered by commercial insurance and Medicaid, leaving elderly adults and those with disabilities with less access than other Americans. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, just 61% of nursing home residents received a flu vaccine during the 2024-25 season—a gap the legislation could help address by reducing barriers to reimbursement. The bill would also benefit Medicare through cost efficiency: pharmacists would be reimbursed at only 80% of the Physician Fee Schedule rate, potentially saving program dollars while expanding access.
Over a quarter of the 119th Congress already co-sponsors H.R. 3164 and its Senate counterpart S. 2426, indicating broad, bipartisan support. The American Society of Consultant Pharmacists is simultaneously pushing the PrEP Access Act (H.R. 7189), which would empower pharmacists to provide HIV prevention services under Medicare Part B, alongside advocacy for telehealth, mental health parity, and biomedical research legislation.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.financialcontent.com/article/accwirecq-2026-5-21-ascp-commends-congressional-action-to-expand-medicare-access-to-pharmacist-services