Testimony

Illinois testimony on PBM treatment of specialty drugs

I would like to highlight the direct impact of PBM actions on patients, specifically on whether they can access the drug that their provider prescribes and the cost they will pay. Much of this is carried out behind the scenes and without regulation. However, that is beginning to change with more states passing bipartisan legislation to regulate PBMs and even the very partisan Congress is working on federal legislation that will hopefully pass this year.

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Employers and issuers using “non-essential health benefit” prescription drug vendors

The HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute found over 150 employers and issuers utilizing outside vendors as part of their prescription drug benefit for their employees that designate certain drugs as “non-essential health benefits” to evade ACA cost-sharing requirements. Most of them implement copay maximizers, under which they keep all copay assistance from drug manufacturers rather than applying it to the patient’s out-of-pocket costs. Others use an alternative funding program, in which carved out drugs are sourced from patient assistance programs meant for the uninsured or by drug importation.

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Senate testimony on FY25 appropriations for HIV and hepatitis programs

Our nation can eliminate both HIV and viral hepatitis, but without investing additional resources to accelerate our efforts, we will continue to fall short of these ambitious goals. Increased investment–and certainly not cuts–in surveillance, education, prevention, and care and treatment will lead to further progress in reducing HIV and viral hepatitis, which include taking a syndemic approach to achieve maximum impact.

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House testimony on FY25 appropriations for HIV and hepatitis programs

Our nation can eliminate both HIV and viral hepatitis, but without an infusion of new resources to accelerate our efforts, we will continue to fall short of these ambitious goals. While we realize strict spending caps are in place, increased investment – and certainly not cuts – in surveillance, education, prevention, and care and treatment will lead to further progress in reducing HIV and viral hepatitis, which include taking a syndemic approach to achieve maximum impact. The programs and funding increases detailed below are pivotal to our nation’s ability to end both these potentially deadly infectious diseases.

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Testimony on the selection of drugs for referral to MD stakeholder council

We believe Maryland policymakers should focus on those issues that directly impact patients, such as PBM regulation and reform, standard plan designs with reasonable deductibles and nominal copays, and ensuring copay assistance counts. We note that the General Assembly is currently considering HB 879, legislation that would ensure that copay assistance programs will count toward deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums, and the Senate is considering SB 595.

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