(SACRAMENTO, CA) – Liz Helms, Founder and Director of the Chronic Care Policy Alliance (CCPA), issued the following statement on Most Favored Nation and PBM reform:
“The Chronic Care Policy Alliance (CCPA) strongly opposes the implementation of Most Favored Nation (MFN) pricing models in drug pricing reform efforts. While addressing the high prescription drug costs that patients are facing is absolutely critical, MFN is not the answer.
Modeled after foreign government pricing systems, MFN may appear to promise savings, but it does so at the expense of patient access, health parity, and innovation. These models risk importing the flaws of international healthcare systems where patients face longer wait times for medications, have fewer treatment options, and deal with policies that often devalue the lives of people with disabilities and chronic conditions through discriminatory metrics like Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALYs).
Dermatologists in New Zealand have recently raised concerns that the country is a decade behind in accessing treatments for severe eczema. As of May 1, 2025, patients are only now gaining access to medications commonly used in the U.S. since August 2019 to treat conditions like eczema, ulcerative colitis, Crohn disease, and rheumatoid arthritis.
CCPA calls on Congress and the Trump Administration to reject flawed price-setting models like MFN, and instead prioritize reforms that directly address the true drivers of cost. Ideally, Congress and the administration should focus on pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform. PBMs have long operated with minimal transparency, pocketing rebates while patients are left with higher out-of-pocket costs and barriers to timely treatment. With bipartisan support and broad public backing, PBM reform is a commonsense step toward a more equitable and affordable health system.
As chronic disease prevalence is rising, now is not the time for policy shortcuts that could delay or deny care. We urge policymakers to stay focused on what matters most: ensuring every patient can access the right treatment at the right time, without fears of delays, denials, or unaffordable costs.”
About Chronic Care Policy Alliance
The Chronic Care Policy Alliance (CCPA) works with state and regional chronic care policy networks to further good public policy on behalf of patients with chronic illnesses. Learn more by visiting chroniccarealliance.org or following CCPA on Facebook and Twitter.