{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://harshbarger.house.gov/media/press-releases/house-passes-rep-harshbargers-hr-5526-seniors-access-critical-medications-act", "House Passes Rep. Harshbarger's H.R. 5526, The Seniors\u2019 Access to Critical Medications Act", "2024-09-25", "2024", "2024-09", "Republican", "House", "TN", "Diana Harshbarger", "H001086", "harshbarger.house.gov", "harshbarger", "https://harshbarger.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. - Monday, September 23, The United States House of Representatives passed Congresswoman Harshbarger's H.R. 5526, The Seniors\u2019 Access to Critical Medications Act of 2024 which ensures that medicare seniors have access to the critical medications they need. This legislation restores pandemic-era flexibilities issued by the Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that allowed mail delivery of prescribed drugs to Medicare beneficiaries.\n\n\"We shouldn\u2019t have obstacles in the way of patients receiving the prescription medications they need,\" said Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger. \"The bipartisan Seniors\u2019 Access to Critical Medications Act simply ensures that cancer patients as well as other patients have timely access to the appropriate oral medications, by allowing delivery of these medications, or allowing family members or caregivers to pick them up on the patient's behalf.\"\n\nBackground\n\nUnder the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services\u2019s (CMS) interpretation of physician self-referral law (commonly known as \u201cStark law\u201d), it\u2019s unlawful for a medical practice \u2014 such as a community oncology practice \u2014 to deliver a prescribed and filled drug to a patient by mail, courier, or UPS. CMS\u2019 interpretation doesn\u2019t even allow for a family member or caregiver to pick up a patient\u2019s drug on their behalf.\n\nDuring the pandemic, CMS recognized these barriers and issued a Stark waiver lifting the restrictions that hindered patient access to these crucial medications. H.R. 5526, The Seniors\u2019 Access to Critical Medications Act of 2024, restores these flexibilities.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:43:57Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://harshbarger.house.gov/media/press-releases/house-passes-rep-harshbargers-hr-5526-seniors-access-critical-medications-act"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9445147588849068, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}