On June 16, 2026, Democrats serving on the Senate Finance Committee with jurisdiction over Medicare issued a stakeholder request for information titled “Commonsense Policy Options to Lower Drug Prices for Patients.” ACCP submitted a statement in response, calling on the Finance Committee to look beyond the price of prescription medications and focus on value, outcomes, and medication optimization.

The College’s comments cite the 2021 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report that highlights how fragmented care can increase the risk of medication mismanagement because prescribers practice across many care settings. Illness and death resulting from non-optimized medication therapy led to an estimated 275,000 avoidable deaths in 2016, with an economic impact of over $500 billion.¹

No effective incentives currently exist in Medicare to support a coordinated medication management service for beneficiaries delivered by an effective interprofessional health care team. Yet particularly for rural communities, access to clinical pharmacy services can help create efficiencies across the entire health delivery system. Clinical pharmacists help deliver enhanced productivity for the entire health care team, allowing other team members to be more efficient in their own patient care responsibilities. Physicians are able to dedicate more time to the diagnostic and treatment selection process, enabling them to be more efficient, see more patients, and spend more time providing medical care. Team members are freed up to practice at the highest level of their own scopes of practice by fully using the qualified clinical pharmacist’s skills and training to coordinate and manage medication therapy as a full team member.

Click here to read ACCP’s comments to the Senate Finance Committee.

Capitol Hill Strategy

ACCP has developed legislative language that would establish coverage for comprehensive clinical pharmacy services in Medicare to integrate clinical pharmacists working as formal members of the patient’s primary health care team, as demonstrated through empirical, peer-reviewed studies and everyday practice, to significantly improve clinical outcomes and enhance the safety of patients’ medication use.

Throughout 2026, working independently and as part of multiorganizational coalitions, ACCP has been holding meetings with leading offices on Capitol Hill that serve on the legislative committees with jurisdiction over Medicare:

• Senate Finance Committee
• House Energy and Commerce Committee
• House Ways and Means Committee

As part of this legislative strategy, ACCP has specifically targeted the GOP Doctors Caucus, an informal congressional body of Republican members of Congress with medical and health care provider backgrounds dedicated to patient-centered health care policy. These medical professionals in Congress 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 regarding the “scope creep” advocacy campaign of the American Medical Association.

ACCP-PAC Supports ACCP’s Advocacy Communications

ACCP-PAC is the only federal political action committee dedicated specifically to advancing the practice of clinical pharmacists and the care of their patients. The PAC supports candidates who are aligned with ACCP’s mission to advance the profession and improve human health and who have demonstrated leadership on issues important to ACCP members, such as protecting Medicare funding for pharmacy residencies. Click here to learn more about ACCP-PAC.

ACCP-PAC is the vehicle by which ACCP can provide financial support to help candidates for Congress who understand and support the College’s issues and share its vision of a team-based, patient-centered, quality-driven approach to health care delivery.

ACCP-PAC is a nonpartisan, member-driven initiative, and all decisions regarding financial contributions to candidates are made by the PAC Governing Council on the basis of certain established criteria:

• Position on key health care committees in Congress
• Proven support for pharmacy and health care–related issues
• Previous health care experience

ACCP members who contribute to the PAC may recommend candidates to receive contributions. All PAC contributor recommendations will be considered; however, we may not accommodate all requests. The ACCP-PAC Governing Council must approve all candidate contributions.

For more information, visit the ACCP-PAC website at www.accpaction.org or contact John McGlew ([email protected]).

Reference

1. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Implementing high-quality primary care: rebuilding the foundation of health care. The National Academies Press; 2021. https://doi.org/10.17226/25983