PIPC Chairman Tony Coelho recently penned a letter to the Maryland Prescription Drug Affordability Board (PDAB) expressing concerns about the PDAB's methodology for setting the Upper Payment Limit (UPL) for selected drugs.
The letter specifically calls out the proposed methodology for establishing UPLs for using cost effectiveness analysis and international prices from countries known to use quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and similar measures barred by federal law and regulations. Consequently, the Maryland PDAB has failed to place safeguards in the proposed rulemaking that would protect people with disabilities and serious chronic conditions from decisions made in reliance on discriminatory value assessment.
"PIPC and others have consistently argued against policies that drive discrimination and increased barriers to accessing personalized care prescribed by doctors in consultation with their patients," wrote Chairman Coelho. "We urge the Board to focus its efforts on making health care more affordable for patients and people with disabilities, such as addressing the utilization management strategies imposed by payers to make care less accessible and affordable."
"PIPC and others have consistently argued against policies that drive discrimination and increased barriers to accessing personalized care prescribed by doctors in consultation with their patients," wrote Chairman Coelho. "We urge the Board to focus its efforts on making health care more affordable for patients and people with disabilities, such as addressing the utilization management strategies imposed by payers to make care less accessible and affordable."
| pipc_md_rule_021025.pdf |
