Democratic-Led State Legislatures May Open Door for Expansion of Pharmacy Services
12/19/2008
Democrats will have broader control in state legislatures nationwide in the 2009 legislative year, opening a greater opportunity for health-system pharmacists to advocate for an expansion of their services.
An ASHP election summary shows Democrats seized the majority in 27 state legislatures, up from 23, in 44 state House and Senate elections. And for the first time, all state legislatures north of Virginia and east of West Virginia turned blue, with the exception of the Pennsylvania Senate. Republicans dominated 14 legislatures, up from 12, and eight state legislatures were split between both parties. Nebraska has one legislative body with no party affiliations. Democrats traditionally favor expanding healthcare services. With a larger number of Democrat-controlled legislatures and one in three state legislative leaders new to the job, pharmacists have new chances to educate elected officials on the value pharmacists bring to the healthcare team. Pharmacists can urge legislators to push for measures that broaden the scope of pharmacy practice and offer advice on ways these services help cut health-system costs in the face of a shaky economy and declining public funding for programs such as Medicaid. Visit ASHP’s Government Affairs Web page for updates on state government issues.
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