Twitter exchange

Recently I had a brief exchange on Twitter about HR 891, the Medication Therapy Management Benefits Act of 2011. Somebody had posted that another Congressman had signed on as a cosponsor of the bill.

I commented that we don't need any more cosponsors, we need action from the committees. Their response was "The former fuels the latter. Onward!"... meaning that more sponsors will get the bill moving out of committee.

I don't agree. The MTM bill has been introduced previously, only to die in committee. We can have dozens of representatives cosponsor the bill, but if it doesn't leave the committees it dies.

Here are the names of the members of the committees where the fate of the MTM bill rests. Lobby them, and if/when the bill makes it out of committee we can work on our individual Congresspersons.


House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health:

Joe Pitts, PA Chair
Michael Burgess, TX Vice Chair
Ed Whitfield, KY
John Shimkus, IL
Mike Rogers, MI
Sue Myrick, NC
Tim Murphy, PA
Marsha Blackburn, TN
Phil Gingrey, GA
Bob Latta, OH
Cathy McMorris Rodgers, WA
Leonard Lance, NJ
Bill Cassidy, LA
Brett Guthrie, KY
Joe Barton, TX
Fred Upton, MI
Frank Pallone Jr, NJ
John D. Dingell, MI
Edolphus Towns, NY
Eliot Engel, NY
Lois Capps, CA
Jan Schakowsky, IL
Charles A. Gonzalez, TX
Tammy Baldwin, WI
Mike Ross, AR
Anthony D. Weiner, NY
Henry A. Waxman, CA


The bill is also sitting in the Committee on Ways and Means.

Dave Camp, MI Chair
Wally Harger, CA
Sam Johnson, TX
Kevin Bradley, TX
Paul Ryan, WI
Devin Nunes, CA
Pat Tiberi, OH
Geoff Davis, KY
Dave G. Reichert, WA
Charles W. Boustany Jr, LA
Peter J. Roskam, IL
Jim Gerlach, PA
Tom Price, GA
Verne Buchanan, FL
Adrian Smith, NE
Aaron Schock, IL
Lynn Jenkins, KS
Eric Paulsen, MN
Kenny Marchant, TX
Rick Berg, ND
Diane Black, TN
Sander Levin, MI
Charles Rangel, NY
Fortney Pete Stark, CA
Jim McDermott, WA
John Lewis, GA
Richard E. Neal, MA
Xavier Becerra, CA
Lloyd Doggett, TX
Mike Thompson, CA
John B. Larson, CT
Earl Blumenauer, OR
Ron Kind, WI
Bill Pascrell Jr, NJ
Shelley Berkley, NV
Joseph Crowley, NY


These are the people who we need to lobby. If we want more cosponsors, work on these Congresspersons.

Regardless, if the bill doesn't make it to the House floor it dies. Stop sitting on your hands, hoping somebody else does the dirty work.

Do something for your profession. Contact these Representatives.