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The Republican wave that swept across the country in this month’s midterm elections transformed the political landscape and raised hopes, however fragile, that the gridlock that has come to characterize Washington in recent years might be alleviated, if not completely overcome.
Business groups are eager to work with the 114th Congress, where they are confident that they will have a better chance of prevailing on a broad range of issues, everything from tax reform, including the establishment of a level playing field for brick-and-mortar and Internet retailers, and cybersecurity to international trade and patent reform.
In the new Congress, Republicans will control both the House of Representatives and the Senate. In the elections, they succeeded in strengthening their majority in the House. At presstime the GOP had a 244 to 184 edge, a gain of 12 seats, with seven races still undecided. More significantly, Republicans took control of the Senate, where they will enjoy a 53 to 46 advantage, a net gain of eight seats, with the race in Louisiana still to be decided in a runoff election on December 6. Incumbent Democrat Mary Landrieu will face Rep. Bill Cassidy in that contest.
“Republicans have finally claimed the control of the Senate that has eluded them for the past two election cycles and are looking forward to a series of important legislative and regulatory battles with President Obama during the last two years of his term,” National Retail Federation president and chief executive officer Matthew Shay wrote to his board of directors in the wake of the election. “For the retail community, the next two years will offer a good chance to move ahead with patent litigation relief as well as some of our key agenda items.”
Health care policy is another area where some movement is possible. Speaker of the House John Boehner (R., Ohio) and Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.), who will become the Senate majority leader in the new Congress, have staked out a seemingly hard line on the Affordable Care Act.
Writing in a recent edition of The Wall Street Journal, they said, “We will honor the voter’s trust by focusing on renewing our commitment to repeal Obamacare, which is hurting the job market along with Americans’ health care.” They went on to call for addressing head-on constituents’ priorities, among them “health costs that continue to rise under a hopelessly flawed law that Americans have never supported.”
Although the harsh rhetoric might seem to preclude any sort of compromise, McConnell and Boehner are seasoned legislators who know how to make a deal. Members of both parties recognize that the ACA, like any law of such scope and ambition, needs to be adjusted once its effects are apparent in the real world. If Republicans and Democrats, including President Obama, make a concerted effort to identify areas where they can cooperate, meaningful action could take place.
That creates an opening for community pharmacy in the drive to expand its role in the nation’s health care system. The National Association of Chain Drug Stores is intent on seizing the opportunity to advance its “pro-pharmacy, pro-patient, pro-business agenda.”
In a memo to members following the election, Steve Anderson, president and CEO of the organization, said, “One of the core assumptions that drive NACDS’ strategy is that individuals who have a higher level of experience and knowledge when it comes to pharmacy services are more likely to support issues that are vital to pharmacy patient care. Reaching out to newly elected members of Congress and their returning colleagues will remain a priority of NACDS and the involvement of NACDS member company representatives will be essential to this work.”
Through such engagement, Anderson is confident that pharmacy will increase the odds of success in dealing with such important questions as extending the use of medication therapy management, securing fair remuneration under Medicaid and other government programs, and attainment of provider status.
The time is right for the industry to assert itself. The pharmacy sector has the resources and infrastructure to help solve difficult health care problems that confront Americans, and the political climate is as favorable as it is likely to be until after the next election cycle.
