ALEXANDRIA, Va. 鈥� Independent community pharmacy advocates from across the country came to Washington, D.C. this week as part of the National Community Pharmacists Association鈥檚 Congressional Pharmacy Fly-In. Their message: We appreciate the reforms to Medicare Part D contract terms that Congress passed earlier this year, and now we would urge them to address egregious pharmacy benefit manager practices in government programs like Medicaid, Tricare, and the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program.
Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), one of three pharmacists or pharmacy owners serving in Congress, kicked off the fly-in on April 15. He shared tips for meeting with policymakers and talking with them about pharmacy priorities, and offered his take on potential next steps. Later that day and on April 16, after being briefed by NCPA staff and other health policy experts, attendees headed to the Capitol to make their voices heard.
鈥淭he PBM reform provisions signed into law this year were hard-fought, and they represented massive progress. As grateful as we are, though, these reforms weren鈥檛 a silver-bullet solution that fixed all patient and pharmacy issues with PBMs. Given the nature of how these middlemen operate, there鈥檚 still more to do,鈥� said Kristen Riddle, the 2025-2026 NCPA president. 鈥淗undreds of independent pharmacists participated in NCPA鈥檚 fly-in again this year with hope and determination fueling our efforts. We鈥檝e accomplished great things, and together, we鈥檒l continue fighting to make real change for independent pharmacies and the communities they serve across the country.鈥�
Here鈥檚 a recap of NCPA鈥檚 2026 Congressional Pharmacy Fly-In:
- The event was at maximum capacity for the third year in a row, drawing hundreds of community pharmacists from 43 states and the District of Columbia.
- Attendees visited nearly 300 congressional offices for meetings with members of Congress or their staff. Because many meetings were attended by multiple pharmacists, the effect amounts to more than 1,200 interactions with members of Congress or their staff.
- Here are the and bills the attendees advocated for.
The next Congressional Pharmacy Fly-In is scheduled for April 7-8, 2027.
