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More than 40 leading groups representing patients, people with disabilities, and older Americans joined the Partnership to Improve Patient Care (PIPC) in sending a letter to Congressional Democratic leadership to ensure HHS factors in the concerns of patients and other affected stakeholders in any drug price negotiation policy.
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Specifically, the letter calls on Congress to ensure that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) establishes a decision-making process that is informed by meaningful input from patients and other affected stakeholders related to the reconciliation legislation’s drug price negotiation process, including including any process the Secretary uses for determining the “fair price” for selected drugs under Medicare in instances when evidence of a drug’s value is being considered.
The letter also urges lawmakers to recognize and communicate to HHS that current safeguards against devaluing the lives of individuals with disabilities, older adults and other subpopulations experiencing health disparities, as well as protections regarding the use of comparative clinical effectiveness research in Medicare, under the existing provisions of Section 1182 of the Affordable Care Act must be adhered to as part of the process of negotiation outlined in the legislation.
"We were disappointed that the most recent draft text on Medicare prescription drug pricing omits language from prior versions that called for a process for input from affected stakeholders, a necessary step to understand how treatments may vary in their impact among subpopulations," the letter states. "If this legislation advances, we hope you will work with us to ensure that HHS creates a process for – and accountability to consider – input from affected stakeholders and that HHS adheres to prohibitions on use of discriminatory metrics such as QALYs that govern Medicare decisions, including decisions made under the negotiation process described in legislation being considered as part of reconciliation."
The letter also urges lawmakers to recognize and communicate to HHS that current safeguards against devaluing the lives of individuals with disabilities, older adults and other subpopulations experiencing health disparities, as well as protections regarding the use of comparative clinical effectiveness research in Medicare, under the existing provisions of Section 1182 of the Affordable Care Act must be adhered to as part of the process of negotiation outlined in the legislation.
"We were disappointed that the most recent draft text on Medicare prescription drug pricing omits language from prior versions that called for a process for input from affected stakeholders, a necessary step to understand how treatments may vary in their impact among subpopulations," the letter states. "If this legislation advances, we hope you will work with us to ensure that HHS creates a process for – and accountability to consider – input from affected stakeholders and that HHS adheres to prohibitions on use of discriminatory metrics such as QALYs that govern Medicare decisions, including decisions made under the negotiation process described in legislation being considered as part of reconciliation."
| reconciliation_letter_on_input_needed.pdf |