Top Health Care Lawmakers, Administration Officials To Address National Community Pharmacists Association Conference May 11-13

Main Category: Pharmacy / Pharmacist
Also Included In: Conferences
Article Date: 11 May 2009 - 5:00 PDT

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Four hundred community pharmacist small business owners from across the country will rally in Washington, D.C. at the Hyatt Regency for a three-day legislative conference focusing on issues facing their small businesses that could limit patients access to their services such as severe cuts in Medicaid pharmacy reimbursement; a lack of negotiating leverage; the lack of transparency with pharmacy benefit managers; and bureaucratic and financial hurdles to the selling of durable medical equipment. Attendees will hear from Congressional and Obama Administration officials, and hold a large rally near the Capitol with a bipartisan group of Congressional members. The agenda follows:

Monday, MAY 11

1:00 p.m. Opening Remarks
-- Bruce Roberts, NCPA Executive Vice President & CEO
2:15 p.m. Obama Administration Official
-- Craig Miner, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

Tuesday, MAY 12

8:45 a.m. Opening Remarks
-- Holly Whitcomb Henry, NCPA President

9:00 a.m. Congressional Speakers
-- Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA)
-- House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD)

10:40 a.m. Congressional Speakers
-- Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
-- Congressman Nathan Deal (R-GA)
-- House Judiciary Chair John Conyers (D-MI)
-- Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS)
-- House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ)
-- House Energy & Commerce Committee Chair Henry Waxman (D-CA) - Keynote Speaker (scheduled time is 12:20 pm)

1:30 p.m. Obama Administration Officials
-- Ilisa Bernstein, Food & Drug Administration (FDA)
-- Mark Caverly, Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)
-- Jimmy Mitchell, Human Resources & Services Administration (HRSA)

Wednesday, MAY 13

9:30 a.m. Pharmacy Rally On Capitol Hill At Cannon House Office Terrace Scheduled to speak are Reps. Marion Berry (D-AR), Bruce Braley (D-IA), Chris Carney (D-PA), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Steve Driehaus (D-OH), Bob Etheridge (D-NC), Walter Jones (R-NC), Mary Jo Kilroy (D-OH), Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Mike Ross (D-AR).

CONTACT: The event is open to media (speaking times for Congressional members are subject to change, due to voting schedules). For more information or to pre-register (free to credentialed media) call John Norton at 703-600-1174 or e-mail to john.norton@ncpanet.org.

Source
National Community Pharmacists Association