On February 25, 2025, the US House of Representatives voted to advance H. Con. Res. 14, a budget resolution that sets spending and revenue targets for the federal budget through which Congress can begin to appropriate federal funds. Of note, the budget resolution instructs legislative committees to identify $880 billion cuts in several areas of domestic spending. In response, ACCP submitted a letter to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce identifying $528 billion annually in potential savings through optimizing patients’ medication use.
ACCP’s letter to Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY) cited evidence that non-optimized medication use accounts for $528 billion in wasteful spending every year—equivalent to 16% of total health care expenditures1—and urged Congress to integrate Medicare coverage for comprehensive clinical pharmacy services as part of the effort to fulfill the obligations of the Energy and Commerce Committee under the House Budget resolution. Click here to read ACCP’s letter to Representative Guthrie.
Capitol Hill Strategy—GOP Doctors Caucus
Both independently and as part of multi-organizational coalitions, ACCP has been active on Capitol Hill, holding meetings with some of the leading offices serving on the legislative committees with jurisdiction over Medicare:
- Senate Committee on Finance
- House Committee on Energy and Commerce
- House Committee on Ways and Means
In particular, ACCP has been having productive conversations with members of the GOP Doctors Caucus—composed of medical providers in Congress who work to develop patient-centered, patient-driven health care reforms focused on quality, access, affordability, portability, and choice. Targeting these offices provides ACCP with a forum to respond to questions over the “scope creep” advocacy campaign of the American Medical Association (AMA). By highlighting the Standards of Practice for Clinical Pharmacists and the collaborative process of care that clinical pharmacists perform on behalf of patients, ACCP’s team in Washington, D.C., believes there is an opportunity to enhance the College’s collaborative advocacy work with medical societies, including the AMA.
ACCP Letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr
In keeping with typical Washington protocol, ACCP submitted a letter of introduction, welcoming Robert F. Kennedy Jr as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Click here to read ACCP’s letter to Secretary Kennedy.
Reference
1. Watanabe JH, McInnis T, Hirsch JD. Cost of prescription drug-related morbidity and mortality. Ann Pharmacother. 2018;52(9):829-837. https://doi.org/10.1177/1060028018765159