Congress passes Ensuring Patient Access Act
http://www.drugstorenews.com/article/congress-passes-ensuring-patient-access-act
ARLINGTON, Va. – The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act of 2016 (S. 483) in the same version passed by the Senate, making President Obama’s consideration and signature the final step before enactment.
The legislation, advocated by both retail pharmacy and the pharma industry, would advance collaboration among health and enforcement authorities to achieve drug abuse solutions that maintain patients’ legitimate access to medications.
The Senate passed S. 483 on March 17, 2016. The House previously passed a slightly different version one year ago – in April 2015.
“This legislation is consistent with NACDS’ position that the complexity of these issues demands a 100% commitment to patient care and a zero tolerance for abuse,” stated Steven Anderson, president and CEO of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores.
“More than three years ago, HDMA’s pharmaceutical distributor members created the initial concept that later became the bill that was passed today,” added John Gray, president and CEO for the Healthcare Distribution Management Association. “It has been gratifying to watch as the primary framework, initially advocated by our industry, and supported by patient, pharmacy and provider groups, gained champions in the House and Senate and evolved into full-fledged legislation that ultimately garnered bipartisan support.”
NACDS has noted that the steady progress of the legislation in the Congress can be considered to be highly consistent with public attitudes. In an opinion study commissioned by NACDS last summer, likely voters who are engaged and aware when it comes to current events indicated through their responses an appreciation for the need to address drug abuse and drug access in a complementary manner.
Nearly 8-in-10 respondents agreed with the statement: “Pharmacies have a dual role when it comes to battling prescription drug abuse: They have to be part of the solution by working with law enforcement officials to stop prescription drug abuse, but they also have to maintain their responsibilities to patients by making sure they receive the medications they legitimately need.”
Filed under: General Problems
Well they’re asking the CDC to come up with the ideas on how the laws hurt people with legitimate need; what’s going to stop them from lying like they have been? I hate to be that way and would rather be positive but there is way too much else going on like pharmacists having free reign not to mention the DEA. At the least I hope it keeps them from trying to screw with doctors for unscientific “state numbers” and whatnot. But I feel like there’s probably still a loophole, ie the controlled substances act they already use. And I agree with Robert… Last I checked these people are retail for the most part, no matter how much they cry and stomp their feet, not law enforcement. The people who say they feel like they are/should be are just more sheeple in favor of a police state.
Just more legislation that will make it harder for pain patients and more profitable to be a drug dealers. I’m seriously thinking about leaving this country because the American dream is turning into a nightmare.
The intriguing question posed by this bill, is “Why did it take 2 years to pass?”
Having watched the War On Patients grow like a malignant glioblastoma, starting two years ago with the closing of Florida pharmacies to pain prescriptions, and metastasizing throughout the entire US, it looks suspiciously like officials knew that this law would impose due-process requirements upon them…and they set out to do maximum damage before the law took effect.
Under the new law, no longer can police or prosecutors or regulators, deny care to patients by locking up their doctor….at least, on paper, the patient’s legal right to treatment is honored.
After burying one friend and seeing others suffer from these actions, I would like to know why these officials were in such a rush to inflict so much harm. The officials who caused all this suffering and all these suicides, should be on trial for genocide.
I did not know that the pharmacist (or worse still, pharmacy tech) was a Law Enforcement Officer. Who is paying them to fill these functions. Is this what they call an unfunded mandate? I remember my days in Guatemala during a cholera epidemic when my hosts told me no one ever goes to the hospital. It’s a place to get sick and die. And it was, literally. If you were out in the sticks had a family member with cholera, you were well advised to stay as far away from the hospital in Xela as possible. Whole families died after taking a loved one to the hospital. Somewhere I have a picture of graffiti on the local public hospital wall stating just that, albeit in Spanish. Now I am beginning to appreciate that perspective.
All that to say this: If my physician, nurse, and pharmacist don’t trust and respect me, why should I trust them enough to seek their assistance when I am ill?
As for “feel good” legislation? I seriously doubt that this legislation will succeed in “Ensuring Patient Access.” Reminds me too much of Orwell’s 1984. . .