Protect Medicare, Patients & Our Economy

Some members of Congress are targeting the biopharmaceutical industry as part of the larger budget reconciliation bill. They are considering significant changes to Medicare and the commercial market that will have a significant negative impact on the industry and the patients we serve. These are harmful and dated Medicare proposals that threaten biopharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturers and undermine the programs that provide critical access to medicines for millions of Americans.

 What is wrong with these proposals?

Seniors and people with disabilities have robust access to medicines in Medicare Part D due in large part to a protection known as the “noninterference clause.” The noninterference clause prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services from interfering in the private negotiations – which already occur in Medicare Part D – between pharmaceutical manufacturers and Part D insurance plans or pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). While it’s important to discuss improvements to the health care system, allowing the government to “negotiate” the price of medicine isn’t about negotiation, it’s about price setting and restricting access to medicines. These proposals could: 

• Devastate the medicine development pipeline
• Limit patient access to medicines
• Negatively impact the 4 million jobs supported by the industry 

What do patients think about these proposals?

Nearly 90% of people are very satisfied with their Part D prescription drug coverage and want to protect it. Public opinion polling also demonstrates that voters’ support for government “negotiation” evaporates once voters learn about access restrictions and slowing innovation for new treatments.  Specifically:

• Kaiser Family Foundation polling finds 65% of Americans oppose “negotiations” if they lead to less research and development of new drugs; 67% oppose it if it means Medicare might not cover some prescription medicines.
• Morning Consult/PhRMA polling data reveal that voters want a better deal on medicines with lower costs at the pharmacy counter, but they do not want to sacrifice access or innovation.
• In the same survey, 65% of those surveyed oppose changing the Medicare law to allow government to restrict access to medicines to save money for the government.

What can I do?

Contact your member of Congress now and tell them to stand against efforts that undermine Medicare, patients and our economy. Congress must support policies that focus on maintaining the private market while addressing consumers’ out-of-pocket costs.