Welcome to the Week in Review.
1. A Blueprint Forward
- On Wednesday, the Department of Health and Human Services released a plan to lower drug prices, which includes allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prices, extending negotiated prices to the private sector, and investing in research to ensure continued innovation. The administration’s plan is bold, comprehensive, and exactly what patients across the country need at this moment. We’ll do everything we can to support the administration and Congress as they work to implement these important recommendations. — (Bloomberg Law)
2. “Listen To Patients”
- To counter pharma’s continued scare tactics and falsehoods about Medicare negotiation, P4ADNow released a new TV ad this week calling out the drug industry’s lies and urging Congress to pass Medicare negotiation legislation. The new phase of the campaign, which also includes digital ads and congressional outreach from patient advocates, coincides with Congress’ work over the next few weeks to draft and mark up Medicare negotiation legislation to include in the reconciliation bill. “Don’t listen to the lies. Don’t listen to the threats. Don’t listen to the lobbyists. Listen to patients,” the ad tells Congress. “Medicare negotiation will help millions of patients get the innovation we need at prices we can afford … We’re counting on you to get it done.” — (Politico)
3. Medicare Negotiation Wins The Popularity Contest
- A new survey shows that Medicare negotiation is the most popular provision in the president’s Build Back Better plan, with nearly 9 in 10 voters supporting the proposal. Americans continue to call for relief from Big Pharma’s abusive pricing practices. It’s time we put patients first. — (Navigator Research)
One more thing: Read these compelling viewpoints from a father of a cystic fibrosis patient in The Concord Monitor, two U.S. representatives in The Baltimore Sun, and an emergency room doctor in The Tucson Weekly about the need for Medicare negotiation.