I’m fortunate to be in generally good health, but like many others, I rely on maintenance medications to keep it that way. Often, specific brand-name drugs are the ones that work consistently. I pay close attention to any policy that could affect whether patients can keep getting the medications they trust.
That’s why I’m alarmed by the Trump administration’s recent Most Favored Nation (MFN) proposal. Tying our drug prices to foreign countries might sound like a quick fix, but it won’t guarantee access, and it could choke the investment pipeline that makes brand-specific innovation possible in the first place.
When a treatment finally works for someone, access should never be up for negotiation.
At the same time, we know the current system has its own problems, especially with PBMs. These corporate middlemen have long been an issue in so many ways. They manipulate which drugs get covered and often pocket the discounts instead of passing savings to patients. Reforms to crack down on PBM abuse, already in Congress’s reconciliation package, are long overdue. DC should follow Colorado’s example: This year the state took a major step toward holding PBMs accountable and passed HB25-1094.
Let’s not trade one broken system for another. I hope Colorado’s congressional delegation will reject MFN and instead focus on passing PBM reform that helps real patients now.
Thomas Miller
Highlands Ranch