Ask your senator and representative to: Eliminate IPAB via legislation or a joint resolution. Several pieces of legislation to repeal IPAB in both the House and Senate have achieved bipartisan support, including S.251, the Protecting Medicare from Executive Action Act of 2017, introduced by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), which calls for the board’s repeal; S.J.Res.16, introduced by Sen. Ron Wyden; and H.J.Res.51, introduced by Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-CA) to authorize the board’s permanent repeal and S.260 and H.R.849, Protecting Seniors’ Access to Medicare Act of 2017, companion bills introduced by Majority Whip Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Rep. Phil Roe, MD (R-TX), to rescind IPAB’s authorization.
Other 2017 Policy Priorities
- Ensure that any healthcare reform legislation prioritizes affordable coverage for chronically ill patients by
- Including coverage for Americans with preexisting conditions;
- Limiting copayments and out-of-pocket costs;
- Covering children on a parent’s insurance until age 26;
- Banning lifetime limits; and
- Applying tax credits based on income.
- Implement MACRA appropriately, which would include optimizing the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) for rheumatology care and supporting a rheumatology-inclusive Alternative Payment Model;
- Apply proper value to cognitive specialty care, including new ICD-10 service codes that more adequately reflect rheumatology care in reimbursement;
- Provide funding for FDA biosimilars review to ensure the introduction of additional safe and effective therapies and lower biologic drug costs;
- Limit overly restrictive insurance practices, including step therapy, prior authorization and specialty drug tiers;
- Provide adequate insurance coverage for biologic therapies, including coverage of administration for complex drugs and Medicare coverage of reimbursement at true ASP+6%; and
- Advance greater transparency of Pharmacy Benefit Manager processes and accountability in how PBMs handle negotiated savings to promote more affordable drug pricing for patients.
Get Involved!
Remember: There’s power in numbers. You can join these ACR leaders in a Virtual Hill Day by visiting the ACR’s Legislative Action Center and letting your members of Congress know where you stand on the issues above. Fact sheets on each of these subjects is also available on the ACR’s website, so reach out to your representatives today!
