Las Vegas, Nev. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) called on Administrator Seema Verma of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) at the Department of Health and Human Services to take action to ensure that seniors receive prescription medication on time in the face of ongoing delays at the United States Postal Service.
“The recent changes implemented by the Postmaster General that have slowed mail delivery across the country will unquestionably impact the timely delivery of seniors’ essential medications,” Senator Cortez Masto wrote. “Delays in the delivery of prescription drugs to seniors would be problematic at any time, but it is especially egregious in the middle of a public health crisis. Though a relatively small portion of seniors have historically received their medications by mail, the availability of prescriptions by mail has taken on new importance in the Coronavirus pandemic. That’s especially true for homebound seniors who are both more susceptible to serious COVID-19 illness, and more likely to rely on prescription medications than other segments of the population. During the pandemic, millions of Americans turned to mail order pharmacies to fill their prescriptions without leaving their homes. Some health plans reported increases in mail order volume as high as 28 percent. It is essential that access to timely medication delivery is maintained during this public health crisis.”
Full text of the letter can be found here.
BACKGROUND:
Senator Cortez Masto has been working urgently to address delays at the USPS, including demanding answers about ongoing delays from Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and pushing for timely mail delivery of medication for veterans. Earlier in August, she held a roundtable with United States Postal Service workers to thank them for serving Nevada communities during the COVID-19 pandemic and to learn more about procedural changes by the Postmaster General that are impacting mail delivery for Nevadans.
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