Trump should right Biden’s wrongs on Medicare reimbursement

As a former health care administrator, I'm deeply concerned about an impending consequence brought on by Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act that threatens seniors in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

Long-term care pharmacies — the pharmacies that serve senior care facilities — provide specialized care that cannot be replicated: consultant pharmacist services, specialized patient-specific medication packaging, and 24/7 medication delivery. These aren't extras, they're federally mandated services that nursing homes and assisted living facilities must provide to residents.

Beginning in January, Medicare reimbursement changes will drastically cut payments to these specialized pharmacies, putting nearly 60% of them at risk of closure. Without these pharmacies, nursing homes may be unable to meet federal requirements and could be forced to close themselves, particularly in rural areas where a single pharmacy closure could impact multiple facilities serving our most vulnerable seniors.

I hope President Trump will right this wrong brought on by the Biden administration by taking executive action to provide relief to these pharmacies and I hope our congressional delegation will support recently introduced bipartisan legislation which would protect seniors' access to these critical services.

Time is running out — Washington must act to protect our seniors.

Kelley Koch

Cumming