Welcome to the Week in Review.

Drug Costs Emerge As Key Midterm Issue

New polling from Axios-Ipsos shows that health care costs — particularly prescription drug prices — will be a defining issue in the 2026 midterms, with a majority of voters saying a candidate’s position on affordability will influence their vote. Another survey found that over the past year more than half of voters took steps to attempt to mitigate high health costs, including avoiding doctors’ visits or taking on debt to afford treatment. U.S. health spending hit a record $5.7 trillion in 2025, with one of the biggest factors driving the uptick being demand for high-cost medications, particularly for people on Medicare and private insurance. Average annual growth for prescription drugs was 11.1 percent in 2025 compared to 7.9 percent in 2024. — [Axios, POLITICO, POLITICO]

Insulin Cap Gains GOP Support

Republican support is growing for legislation that would cap insulin costs for privately insured patients. Medicare’s $35 cap on insulin costs is already delivering hundreds of dollars in savings each month for seniors, proving the program’s success and popularity that should be extended to the commercial market. The move reflects mounting pressure to address drug affordability ahead of the midterms. As Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) stated, “I don’t know why it should divide Republicans… who is in favor of allowing these pharma companies to rip off people with high insulin prices when there is no supply issue or production issue?” While out-of-pocket caps don’t tackle the root cause of high list prices and only shift costs away from patients, their growing bipartisan support signals continued momentum for policies that directly make prescriptions more affordable. — [Congress, POLITICO]

Sickle Cell Cures Advance – But Costs Remain A Barrier

A young man from Louisiana became the first person in the Gulf Coast region to be cured of sickle cell disease after undergoing FDA-approved CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology. This breakthrough follows the treatment of a 12 year old boy in Washington, D.C. These advances mark real progress for a debilitating and lifelong condition that disproportionately affects Black and Latino communities. These therapies represent extraordinary scientific progress — but with price tags exceeding $2 million, access remains a significant barrier both for patients and payers. Alternative models like the first of its kind partnership between a Maryland non-profit and the Brazilian government do offer a potential solution, making these promising cures increasingly within reach for patients. — [Guardian, NYT, The Grio, NIH, Biopharma Dive, Fierce Pharma]

ICYMI

Following Germany’s plans to lower drug prices to control rising healthcare costs, the U.S. launched an investigation into what it calls “underpayment for innovative pharmaceutical products,” raising the prospect of new additional tariffs on EU drug imports past the 15% set to begin at the end of July. It’s critical to remember that lowering prices for U.S. patients shouldn’t come at the expense of patients in other countries, and this approach doesn’t even guarantee lower prices at home. — [Bloomberg, POLITICO, STAT News, EU]

Patient Advocate Spotlight: Helen Bell

Condition: Psoriatic Arthritis and Crohn’s disease

Drugs: Methotrexate, Entyvio, and Rinvoq

In Her Words: “My medications have provided me with periods of remission and overall stability. The financial logistics of maintaining this access, however, have become a more stressful burden than my illnesses themselves. 

“My Entyvio would have been a massive financial burden on our household, as it falls under Part B as an infusion. I was only able to proceed with this medication because my gastroenterologist’s treatment coordinator navigated a patient assistance program application successfully. Before landing on my current medication combination, six biologic medications failed me. All of these have been expensive enough that I had to avail myself of the manufacturers’ copay assistance programs, at times forcing me to delay new treatments as I coordinated these programs. 

“Having insurance does not guarantee access to affordable care, and lifesaving medications are not guaranteed to be affordable for many. My story is tragically far too common in our broken healthcare system.”

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