Missouri seniors need continued access to essential pharmacist services

Seniors in Missouri are increasingly facing obstacles on their journey to receive timely and accessible health care. Today, more than 17% of Missouri's population is aged 65 and older, and projections indicate that more than a quarter of Missourians will be over age 60 by 2030. While the need for quality health care for seniors is paramount, persistent geographic and socioeconomic barriers hinder the ability of our older neighbors to access the health services they need. Pharmacists bridge such gaps in access and provide essential care and services to seniors, particularly those in rural Missouri and areas with limited care options. But unless the U.S. Congress acts soon, seniors here and nationwide will lose access to testing, vaccination, and treatment services that pharmacists provide for common infectious diseases like flu and RSV.

Approximately one third of Missourians live in rural areas today, encompassing 83% of the state's counties. Seniors, who account for 20% of the population in rural Missouri, frequently encounter restricted availability of hospitals, clinics and specialized care. In fact, residents in 45% of rural counties in the state lack sufficient access to essential hospital services, forcing residents to travel extensive distances to obtain necessary care. Even in the largest cities of these rural counties, patients can face journeys of more than 30 minutes to reach the nearest hospital.

Seniors in Charleston, Missouri, a small rural community in Mississippi County where I have practiced pharmacy since 1976, face many of these challenges every day. This impoverished county with a population of 12,000 people ranks among the lowest in the state for health outcomes and factors, including access to living wage jobs, nutritious food, and quality clinical care. This challenging reality, coupled with limited health care access, disproportionately impacts the health and quality of life of seniors in the community.

The scarcity of health care professionals in Charleston and other rural areas exacerbates the problem, leading to longer wait times for appointments and limited access to specialized services. Seniors residing in the 364 health professional shortage areas in our state, where more than 2.3 million Missourians live, face difficulties in accessing timely diagnoses, treatments and ongoing health care for their medical conditions.

Pharmacists provide immense value in these challenging environments by serving as accessible health care providers, bridging the gap between limited resources and the health care needs of these communities. Pharmacists leverage their expertise and close patient relationships to provide personalized care and vital health services, such as tests, vaccines and treatments for infectious diseases. Seniors rely on pharmacists for medication management and counseling, navigating complex health care regimens, and ensuring optimal medication outcomes.

During the pandemic, pharmacists served on the front lines, ensured uninterrupted access to essential care, and played a vital role in COVID-19 testing, vaccination, and treatment initiation. My pharmacist colleagues and I delivered more than 15,000 vaccines in more than 16 counties in Missouri, many of them to older patients and disadvantaged communities.

Despite the urgent need for accessible health care, pharmacists continue to operate under a fragile foundation of temporary authorities that were established in response to the pandemic. With the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) in May, countless seniors may lose access to essential pharmacist services. If Congress doesn't act to ensure coverage of pharmacist-provided testing, vaccination and treatment initiation under Medicare, seniors may be left without access to these essential services while those with private insurance or Medicaid see no interruption in access.

The Equitable Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act (H.R. 1770), a bipartisan bill currently before Congress, presents a solution to ensure seniors maintain access to pharmacist services. This legislation would establish payment for essential pharmacist services under Medicare Part B, encompassing testing, vaccination, and treatment initiation for infectious diseases such as COVID-19, flu, strep throat and RSV. This bill would improve health care access for seniors by enabling local pharmacists to continue to bridge access gaps and provide seamless care.

I commend Congressman Jason Smith for his support for rural communities and urge him and the entire Missouri congressional delegation to advance H.R. 1770 to ensure seniors in Missouri maintain access to essential health care services.

Seniors stand to gain from accessible and reliable pharmacist services. Without a federal solution, we'll be putting the health and well-being of seniors in jeopardy now and in the future.

Dr. Richard Logan has been a practicing pharmacists in Charleston, Missouri since 1976.