The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 NewsACR Convergence
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Psoriatic Arthritis Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
    • Interprofessional Perspective
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
      • Psoriatic Arthritis
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / RheumPAC Donors Discuss Healthcare Legislation, Drug Pricing with Rep. Lloyd Doggett

RheumPAC Donors Discuss Healthcare Legislation, Drug Pricing with Rep. Lloyd Doggett

May 7, 2021 • By Zach Wallace, MD, MSc

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF

On April 27, RheumPAC held a virtual discussion with Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), during which RheumPAC donors received an insider’s perspective on healthcare legislation and the chance to discuss the ACR’s priorities with the chair of the Ways & Means Subcommittee on Health. Rep. Doggett controls the gateway for policies related to Medicare, as well as public and private payments for healthcare and biomedical research.

You Might Also Like
  • RheumPAC Hosts Rep. Kim Schrier, MD, for Legislative Update
  • RheumPAC Hosts Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.) for Virtual Discussion of ACR Legislative Priorities
  • Making Sense of Drug Pricing Legislation
Explore This Issue
June 2021
Also By This Author
  • Advancing the ACR’s Legislative Priorities in 2021

Experience Shared
During a spirited Q&A, Rep. Doggett and the attendees had a productive dialogue on a variety of topics, including:

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE
  • Expansion of the Affordable Care Act;
  • The status of workforce legislation and boosting Medicare-supported residency positions;
  • The legislative outlook for streamlining prior authorization; and
  • General drug pricing policies and Congress’ intent to rein in drug costs.

Rep. Doggett has a strong interest in addressing the soaring costs of prescription drugs in the U.S. and was excited to hear firsthand from the ACR community about these challenges and potential remedies. Attendees shared their experiences from day-to-day practice that drug prices have risen twice as fast in Medicare Part D than in Part B.

In the past, Rep. Doggett has supported policies to lower reimbursement for Part B drugs, so he was particularly interested to hear why the rheumatology community has opposed such policies and what solutions may be more reasonable.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Several attendees described their experiences to explain how pricing models proposed by prior administrations would put physician practices at serious financial risk and interrupt patient access to high-quality care. In addition, attendees were able to dispel the notion that providers have incentives to choose certain drugs, especially when it comes to Part B drugs.

We explained that, from the rheumatology perspective, relying on biosimilars to reduce costs, allowing the federal government to negotiate prices and increasing transparency would be better ways to rein in costs without straining providers and practices or limiting patient access.

RheumPAC’s Role
Events like this one showcase the critical role that RheumPAC plays in ensuring the rheumatology community has a seat at the table. Through funds raised by ACR/ARP members, the ACR is able to have important discussions like these with influential legislators and educate them on the impact that proposed and enacted policies have on rheumatologists and their patients. Perhaps most importantly, these discussions give us the opportunity to share alternative approaches to reform that would not threaten rheumatology practices and access to care.

ad goes here:advert-3
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Having more opportunities to engage with members of Congress through additional resources will further enable the ACR to better advocate on behalf of rheumatology patients and providers.

Pages: 1 2 | Single Page

Filed Under: American College of Rheumatology, Legislation & Advocacy Tagged With: Legislation & Advocacy, Lloyd Doggett, RheumPACIssue: June 2021

You Might Also Like:
  • RheumPAC Hosts Rep. Kim Schrier, MD, for Legislative Update
  • RheumPAC Hosts Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.) for Virtual Discussion of ACR Legislative Priorities
  • Making Sense of Drug Pricing Legislation
  • 2019 RheumPAC Matching Campaign Donors Recognized

Rheumatology Research Foundation

The Foundation is the largest private funding source for rheumatology research and training in the U.S.

Learn more »

Simple Tasks

Learn more about the ACR’s public awareness campaign and how you can get involved. Help increase visibility of rheumatic diseases and decrease the number of people left untreated.

Visit the Simple Tasks site »

Meeting Abstracts

Browse and search abstracts from the ACR Convergence and ACR/ARP Annual Meetings going back to 2012.

Visit the Abstracts site »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use / Cookie Preferences

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2023 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)