The ACP mission is to save the independent pharmacy profession and its operations in community pharmacies all across our nation. ACP*CN was established to pursue this mission in Washington, DC.

Our priorities in Washington include:

    1. To correct severe under-reimbursement payment problems under the Medicare program. Because pending legislation would affect Medicare contracts in place, we support changes that would take place beginning in the contract year following enactment. We also support changes to ensure adequate and prompt reimbursements.

    2. To establish an exemption from federal anti-trust laws for independent community pharmacies so they can negotiate pharmacy reimbursement levels with pharmacy benefit management companies. This is critical to ensure that independent pharmacies can operate without financial losses as they serve the interests of patients and other consumers who need affordable access to prescription drugs and pharmacy services.

    3. To lead pharmacy efforts to convince Congress that the “Debit Card” plan is the best solution to improve the Medicaid and the Medicare programs. This approach follows the highly effective example set by the federal Food Stamp program.