American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Executive Vice President and CEO Thomas E. Menighan released the following statement today in recognition of the federal Medicare program marking its 50^th anniversary this week:

“When President Lyndon Johnson signed the bill creating Medicare on July 30, 1965, he said the program would bring ‘the miracle of healing to the old and to the poor.’ And while the program has improved the lives of millions of Americans over the last 50 years, more can be done to improve the care and health outcomes of Americans.

In late January, the Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act was introduced in both the U.S. House (H.R. 592) and Senate (S. 314), a critical step to improving health care access. If passed, this legislation would enable Medicare beneficiaries living in Medically Underserved communities to access health care through pharmacists’ patient care services.

As we reflect on the past 50 years of the Medicare program, we also must consider how it can be improved in the future.  Our Medicare population is growing. The number of people with chronic diseases is increasing, and millions of Americans lack adequate access to primary care at a time when health care services and medication therapies are becoming increasingly complex. Medication-related problems have a significant detrimental impact on patients and the health care system in general.  

Patients need the care and expertise of pharmacists more than ever. Yet without coverage, patients don’t have access to the important services that pharmacists can provide. Fortunately, there is momentum behind changes to improve the Medicare program. Today there are 182 bipartisan House co-sponsors and 27 Senate co-sponsors of the Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act. The ‘miracle of healing’ will be available to even more patients once this transformative legislation is passed, improving patients’ access to health care through pharmacists’ services.”