Weekly Healthcare Policy Round-Up

In this week’s Health Policy Round-Up, ALF shares the most up to date news happening in Washington DC.

• After years of advocacy, we are thrilled to celebrate that Eli Lilly & Co. and Novo Nordisk have reached an agreement with the Trump Administration to expand access and reduce the cost of obesity treatments for Medicare, Medicaid, and eligible cash-pay patients. This is a monumental step toward affordable care and access for our liver community. Obesity is a leading cause of MASLD/MASH. Congress must now build on this momentum by advancing the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA), legislation that would expand Medicare coverage to the full continuum of obesity care, including improvements to the intensive behavioral therapy benefit. Read more about it here.
• Although the federal government remains closed, many congressional staffers continue to work and met with ALF advocates during October, National Liver Awareness Month. ALF advocates will continue to hold meetings through November and into early December to advocate for ALF’s legislative priorities.
• ALF recently signed onto an advocacy letter which was sent to the House of Representatives and the Senate. The letter urges Congress to pass comprehensive Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) transparency and accountability reform measures before the end of the year. Currently, three PBMs process nearly 80% of prescription drug claims in the U.S., giving them immense market power. This consolidation has created a skewed marketplace that drives up drug costs and limits patient choice. The letter calls for full transparency of PBM practices, banning spread pricing, which allows PBMs to profit from the difference between what they charge for insurers and reimburse pharmacies and de-linking PBM compensation from drug prices.