Chronic Care Policy Alliance (CCPA) released the below statement following the announcement of the list of drugs subject to Medicare price negotiation:
CCPA continues to encourage CMS to ensure that patients have a prominent seat at the table throughout the initial negotiation period. Following the Medicare negotiation process, we want to ensure that the ultimate impact on patients is fully understood, both in the short and long term through continued patient participation.
While a reduction in prices is laudable and CCPA shares the desire for affordable treatments, the end result may be sacrificing access due to an increase in utilization management and other restrictions. This is a step in the wrong direction. We look forward to participating in the initial round of patient-focused listening sessions; however, threats to patient access will not be immediately apparent. Therefore, we encourage CMS to take a long-term, multi-year approach to including patient engagement in the negotiation process.
Health care policies should not be made “about us, without us,” so on behalf of the patient community, we look forward to continuing to provide feedback on the ultimate impact of these and future policies.
Learn more in our recent letter to CMS: https://chroniccarealliance.org/letter-to-cms-drug-price-negotiation-listening-sessions-should-be-part-of-a-dialogue-with-meaningful-influence/