P1. NCPA Legislative Top Priorities.

P1. PAC Reception at NCPA’s2015 Annual Convention.

P2. Northwest Pharmacy Convention.

P2. Highlights of August Pharmacy Visits.

DECEMBER • 2015

National Community Pharmacists Association Political Action CommitteeNCPA PAC UPDATE

NCPA Legislative Top Priorities

NCPA HAS CONTINUED TO EDUCATE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AND THEIR staff about NCPA’s legislative priorities and bills. Ensuring Seniors Access to Local Pharmacies Act (S. 1190/H.R. 793): These companion bills would give independent pharmacies the ability to participate in preferred networks if one or more of their stores is located in a health professional shortage area, one or more of their stores is located in a medically underserved population, and if they can meet the terms and conditions that are offered to other in-network pharmacies.

• S. 1190 was introduced by Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Sens. Sherrod Brown (D- Ohio), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and currently has 10 cosponsors.

• H.R. 793 currently has 71 cosponsors and was introduced by Reps. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.).

MAC Transparency Act (H.R. 244): Legislation was introduced by Reps. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) and Dave Loebsack (D-Iowa) that would provide transparency and fairness to community pharmacies regarding their reimbursement for generic drugs. This bill would require pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to disclose the rate of reimbursement in the contract and to update that rate at least once every seven days to reflect fluctuations in the market. Currently, H.R. 244 has 30 cosponsors.

Provider Status Legislation (S. 314/H.R. 592): These companion bills would recognize pharmacists as providers under the Medicare Part B program. If enacted, pharmacists would be able to perform services for patients consistent with their state’s scope of practice if their pharmacy is located in a medically underserved area, health professional shortage area, or medically underserved population.

• S. 314 was introduced by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Robert Casey (D-Pa.), Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and currently has 38 cosponsors.

• H.R. 592 was introduced by Reps. Brent Guthrie (R-Ky.), G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), and Ron Kind (D-Wis.) and currently has 250 cosponsors. ■

PAC Reception at NCPA’s 2015 Annual Convention

NCPA PAC chairman, Steve Giroux, speaks at NCPA PAC Reception.

EACH YEAR, NCPA HOLDS A PAC Fundraising Reception to raise funds for the NCPA PAC and to show our appreciation for our monthly PAC contributors. That’s not all—we also raffle off a trip to our Multiple Locations Pharmacy Conference. This year we exceeded our goal and raised over $35,000 at the Annual Convention. Thank you for your continued support.

Congratulations to Jim and Dorinda Martin for winning a trip to NCPA’s Multiple Loca-tions Pharmacy Conference in February. Jim and Dorinda, we look forward to seeing you in Fort Myers! ■

Highlights of August Pharmacy Visits

NCPA URGED ALL NCPA MEMBERS TO CONTACT THEIR ELECTED OFFICIALS during the August congressional recess to voice support for NCPA’s three legislative priorities: Any Willing Pharmacy, the Ensuring Seniors Access to Local Pharmacies Act (H.R. 793/S. 1190); MAC Transparency Act (H.R. 244); and Provider Status legislation (H.R. 592/S. 314) and provided tips and resources to simplify the process. We were pleased that many NCPA members heeded this call to action and met directly with their legislators.

NCPA members in Georgia met with Rep. Tom Price (R-GA.), chairman of the House Budget Committee who also serves on the Ways and Means Committee. The meeting was well attended and included participation from then-NCPA President John Sherrer, NCPA Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Steve Pfister, and Greg Reybold from the Georgia Pharmacy Association. It provided an opportunity to speak with Rep. Price about NCPA’s priority legislation.

In Kansas, NCPA Vice President of Government Affairs Mike Tomberlin joined Pete Stern with the Kansas Independent Pharmacy Services Corporation and local constituents in a meeting with Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.), a member of the House Ways and Means Com-mittee. Participants had an opportunity to applaud her support of H.R. 592 and to encour-age her to support H.R. 244 and H.R. 793.

Similarly, in North Carolina, independent pharmacists and representatives from the North Carolina Association of Pharmacists met with Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Following this meeting, she cosponsored H.R. 244.

Independent pharmacists in North Dakota were particularly active in August and were able to meet with their entire congressional delegation: Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, and Sens. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.). All members of the North Dakota delegation had previously cospon-sored their respective provider status bills, and these meetings provided an opportunity to discuss MAC and any willing pharmacy legislation, among other pharmacy-related issues.

Finally, in Pennsylvania, representatives from NCPA, the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Associa-tion, and a contingent of independent pharmacists met with Rep. Tom Marino (R-Pa.), chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law. Rep. Marino is a longtime supporter of independent community pharmacy, having keynoted NCPA’s Legislative Conference in 2013 and cosponsoring H.R. 793. This meeting was a chance to continue the dialogue with him on these critical issues.

Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) toured Hoye’s Pharmacy in Tampa, Fla. Rep. Bilirakis is a mem-ber of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and this visit allowed him to learn more about challenges faced by compounding pharmacies as well as H.R. 244 and H.R. 793. It also provided an opportunity for him to learn about prescription drug monitoring programs.

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) with Linda Garrelts MacLean

(Washington State University) andHolly Henry (Rxtra Care, Inc.).

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) speaking at Northwest

Pharmacy Convention.

Northwest Pharmacy Convention

THIS SUMMER, REP. CATHY MCMORRISRodgers (R-Wash.) participated in the Northwest Pharmacy Convention in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Many NCPA members attend this meeting that is organized by the Washington, Idaho, and Montana State Pharmacy Associations.

Rep. McMorris Rodgers spoke at the Convention’s opening reception, where she discussed the importance of inde-pendent pharmacies in their community. Following the opening reception, the NCPA PAC hosted a fundraiser for the Congresswoman, where several NPCA members participated by contributing to her campaign. Rep. McMorris Rodgers has been a longtime supporter of independent community pharmacy and serves in House Leadership as Chair of House Repub-lican Conference. Currently, she is the only member of House Leadership that is cosponsoring all three of NCPA’s priority bills (H.R. 244, H.R. 793, and H.R. 592). ■

In Iowa, Rep. Dave Loebsack (D-Iowa), a member of the House Energy and Com-merce Committee and original cosponsor of H.R. 244, toured Towncrest Pharmacy. Rep. Loebsack is a longtime supporter of independent community pharmacy and this visit allowed him to learn more about other issues that impact these small busi-ness providers.

While these roundtable events were an ef-fective means to discuss policy, an equally important means is for members of Con-gress to visit independent pharmacies and get a firsthand look at the operations of one of their local small businesses. We thank everyone who participated in the round-table events and pharmacy visits. Remem-ber, it’s never too late to ask your member to visit your pharmacy! If you are interested in hosting your member of Congress for a pharmacy visit, please contact Kendal Ann Miller in the NCPA Government Affairs De-partment at 703-838-2695. ■

NCPA PAC NEWSLETTER

From left to right: Pete Stern (Kansas Independent Pharmacy Services Corporation), Rep. Lynn Jenkins, Jody Reel

(Reel Pharmacy Services, LLC) and Mike Tomberlin (NCPA).

Rep. Tom Marino (R-Pa.) meets with independent pharmacists and representatives from NCPA and the

Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association.

Pharmacy VisitsDate Member of Congress Pharmacy State

Jun. 17 Sen. Coats (R-IN) Custom Plus Pharmacy IN

Jun. 24 Sen. Donnelly (D-IN) Custom Plus Pharmacy IN

Jul. 31 Rep. Palmer (R-AL-6) Sniders Discount Pharmacy AL

Aug. 4 Rep. Whitfield (R-KY-1) Strawberry Hills Pharmacy KY

Aug. 10 Sen. Hoeven (R-ND) Roundtable ND

Aug. 11 Rep. Price (R-GA-6) Roundtable GA

Aug. 12 Rep. Johnson (R-OH-6) Medi Wise Pharmacy OH

Aug. 12 Rep. Evan Jenkins (R-WV-3) Fruth Pharmacy WV

Aug. 13 Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-KS-2) Roundtable KS

Aug. 17 Rep. Ellmers (R-NC-2) Roundtable NC

Aug. 18 Rep. Crawford (R-AR-1) Soo's West End Pharmacy AR

Aug. 19 Rep. Bilirakis (R-FL-12) Hoyes Pharmacy FL

Aug. 19 Rep. Reed (R-NY-23) Roundtable NY

Aug. 21 Rep. Burgess (R-TX-26) Roundtable TX

Aug. 24 Rep. Collins (R-NY-27) Roundtable NY

Aug. 24 Rep. Cramer (R-ND-At Large) Roundtable ND

Aug. 24 Rep. Leutkemyer (R-MO-3) Whaley's East End Drug MO

Aug. 25 Rep. Loebsack (D-IA-2) Towncrest Pharmacy IA

Aug. 26 Rep. Marino (R-PA-10) Roundtable PA

Aug. 26 Sen. Heitkamp (D-ND) Roundtable ND

Aug. 26 Rep. Blum (R-IA-1) Hartig Drug IA

Sept. 1 Rep. Hensarling (R-TX-5) Kemp Family Pharmacy TX

Sept. 2 Rep. Griffith (R-VA-9) Roundtable VA

Sept. 23 Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK-1) Spoon's Drugstore OK

Sept. 23 Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) Shatiff Pharmacy TX

“Are you willing to give $1 a day [to the NCPA PAC] to pro-tect your business and your bottom line?”—Steve Giroux, PAC Chairman, Middleport Family Health Center, Middleport, NY

CONTINUED SUPPORT OF NCPA PAC RAISES THE PROFILE OF INDEPENDENT COMMUNITY PHARMACY! To learn more about NCPA PAC, please contact Karry LaViolette at karry.laviolette@ncpanet.org or 703-600-1180.

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Fold and return this form with your contribution to: NCPA PAC, 100 Daingerfield Rd., Alexandria VA, 22314. For more information, contact: Karry LaViolette, Senior Director of Political Affairs and Advocacy at 703-600-1180, 703-683-6375 fax, or email karry.laviolette@ncpanet.org.