Initiative aims to encourage pro-pharmacist policies
COOKEVILLE — Earlier this week, U.S. Rep. John Rose (TN-6) held the first meeting of his newly created Sixth District Congressional Community Pharmacy Advisory Council. The council was conceived to promote fairness for pharmacists, especially local community pharmacists, when working with Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs).
“The work I do on behalf of community pharmacists doesn’t start in Washington, D.C.; it starts with the ideas of community pharmacists throughout the Sixth District,” said Rose. “I am proud to launch this advisory council, which will serve as an opportunity for pharmacists to share their experiences, provide insights on how to ease regulatory burdens and play a critical role in driving change in Washington.”
The Sixth District Congressional Community Pharmacy Advisory Council held its inaugural meeting on Monday, Aug. 30, in Cookeville. The advisory council will meet in person twice a year for the purpose of providing a legislative update and to listen to feedback and suggestions regarding additional important issues affecting pharmacists.
The council represents the next step in Rose’s continued dedication to protecting community pharmacies. Reforming the onerous system of direct and indirect remuneration (DIR) fees that PMBs impose in an attempt to put independent pharmacies across the nation out of business is one of his top priorities. In addition to making it exceedingly difficult for independent pharmacies to continue successful operations, rising DIR fees are also a major cause for rising patient prescription copays. To fight this, Representative Rose and several colleagues introduced a bipartisan piece of legislation, H.R. 3554, the “Pharmacy DIR Reform to Reduce Senior Drug Costs Act.”
Rose has also led the effort to write several bipartisan letters to the Department of Health and Human Services and the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services that urge them to take action against these PBMs and finally implement meaningful DIR reform. You can also read his op-ed featured in “The Hill”here on the need to address harmful DIR fees.
U.S. Rep. John Rose is currently serving his second term representing Tennessee’s Sixth Congressional District and resides in Cookeville with his wife, Chelsea, and their two sons, Guy and Sam. The Sixth District includes Cannon, Clay, Coffee, Cumberland, DeKalb, Fentress, Jackson, Macon, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Robertson, Smith, Sumner, Trousdale, White and Wilson counties as well as portions of Cheatham and Van Buren counties. Rep. Rose is an eighth-generation farmer, small business owner and attorney, and currently serves on the Financial Services Committee.
