Congressional Hearing Highlights Pharmacists’ Role in Expanding Patient Access
The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health held a congressional hearing today, September 15, 2026, that included consideration of bipartisan legislation to establish Medicare coverage and payment for certain pharmacist-provided patient care services.
H.R. 3164, the Ensuring Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act (ECAPS), would allow Medicare Part B to cover pharmacist-provided testing and treatment services for common respiratory illnesses, including influenza, COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and strep throat, when pharmacists are authorized to provide those services under state law.
Anthony Pudlo, PharmD, MBA, MS, CEO of the Tennessee Pharmacists Association, testified before the Subcommittee in support of the legislation, bringing the perspective of pharmacists and patients directly to Congress.
In his testimony, Dr. Pudlo urged the Subcommittee to act, describing seniors in rural and urban communities alike who have a trusted, authorized pharmacist nearby, but no Medicare coverage for the very care that pharmacist is already qualified to provide. As he told members, “Too many seniors are still being denied timely access to care that may be available just minutes from their homes,” causing seniors to face a difficult choice: “[…]wait and hope that they get better, or seek care in a higher cost setting such as an emergency department.”
Why ECAPS matters
Across the country, state laws increasingly authorize pharmacists to test for and treat common illnesses, and many authorize pharmacists to get paid for these services. Pharmacists provide these services in highly accessible community settings, including rural and underserved communities where patients may face significant barriers to accessing other healthcare providers. One barrier is the reality that Medicare generally does not recognize pharmacists as practitioners who can bill Part B directly for these clinical services.
As Dr. Pudlo testified, “Tennessee, along with 27 other states, already authorized their Medicaid and commercial health plans to cover such services. Medicare beneficiaries, however, they are often the only patients unable to access coverage for the same pharmacist-provided services.” As a result, a pharmacist may be legally authorized under state law to evaluate and treat a patient but have no mechanism to bill Medicare for providing that care.
ECAPS would help close that gap.
The legislation would establish Medicare Part B coverage for specified pharmacist services that would otherwise be covered when furnished by a physician or incident to a physician’s service. Importantly, the legislation preserves states’ authority to determine pharmacists’ scope of practice: Medicare coverage would apply only when the pharmacist is legally authorized to provide the service under the law of the state where the care is delivered.
Today’s hearing is an important step
Consideration by the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee marks another important step for ECAPS. The House Ways and Means Committee previously advanced H.R. 3164 earlier this year.
“America’s pharmacists are ready,” Dr. Pudlo told the Subcommittee. “On behalf of the seniors, families, and caregivers, we should not have to wait until a manageable illness becomes a medical emergency.”
The pharmacy profession continues to urge Congress to enact legislation that recognizes pharmacists as healthcare providers and gives Medicare beneficiaries greater access to pharmacist-provided care.
NASPA supports efforts to ensure that pharmacists are able to practice at the top of their education and training and that patients have access to pharmacist-provided services in communities across the country.
We thank Dr. Pudlo for representing pharmacists and state pharmacy associations before Congress and for highlighting the role pharmacists can play in improving access to care.
What pharmacists can do
Pharmacists can help demonstrate the need for ECAPS by sharing real examples of how pharmacist-provided testing and treatment improve patient access in their communities.
Contact your members of Congress and ask them to support H.R. 3164, the Ensuring Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act.