AMERICA'S AGENDA HEALTHCARE FOR ALL

DURING THE COURSE OF 2023, AMERICA'S AGENDA ("AAHCA") CONTINUED OUR ONGOING WORK IN BUILDING BROAD CITIZEN COALITIONS THAT UNITE BUSINESSES, LABOR UNIONS, AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS IN EFFECTIVE ADVOCACY TO ACHIEVE REFORMS THAT WILL ASSURE THAT EVERY AMERICAN HAS AFFORDABLE ACCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY HEALTHCARE. AS THE COST OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS HAS EMERGED AS THE FASTEST-GROWING COMPONENT OF OVERALL HEALTH COSTS, REDUCTION OF PRESCRIPTION DRUG COSTS HAS BECOME A PRIORITY AAHCA CONCERN. AAHCA-ORGANIZED ADVOCACY CAMPAIGNS HAVE RESULTED IN ENACTMENT OF AMERICA'S AGENDA-DESIGNED STRATEGIES TO REDUCE PRESCRIPTION DRUG COSTS AND CAPTURE SUBSTANTIAL SAVINGS FOR PATIENTS, TAXPAYERS, STATE GOVERNMENT, AND PUBLIC EMPLOYEES IN SEVERAL STATES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. EACH OF OUR AAHCA STATE CAMPAIGNS HAS BUILT ON THE SUCCESS OF OUR POLICY INITIATIVE IN NEW JERSEY, WHERE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AMERICA'S AGENDA-DESIGNED PUBLIC POLICY STRATEGY FOR CREATING A DYNAMICALLY COMPETITIVE MARKETPLACE FOR PHARMACY BENEFIT MANAGERS CAPTURED $2.52 BILLION IN PRESCRIPTION DRUG SAVINGS OVER 5 YEARS FOR STATE TAXPAYERS AND THE NEW JERSEY STATE EMPLOYEES HEALTH PLAN. AAHCA'S FEDERAL MEDICARE REFORM ADVOCACY INITIATIVE AIMS TO ELIMINATE PERVERSE PRESCRIPTION BENEFIT MANAGER (PBM) INCENTIVES TO PROVIDE MEDICARE PARTICIPANTS HIGHER, RATHER THAN LOWER, PRICED DRUGS AND PREVENT PBM CONFLICTS OF INTEREST THAT DRIVE COSTS HIGHER FOR AMERICA'S SENIORS.THE FOLLOWING EXAMPLES HIGHLIGHT ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF AAHCA ADVOCACY OVER THE COURSE OF 2023: -IN COLORADO, FOLLOWING THE SUCCESS OF OUR ADVOCACY COALITION IN WINNING ENACTMENT OF COLORADO'S COMPETITIVE PHARMACY BENEFITS MANAGER MARKETPLACE ACT, AAHCA MAINTAINED MOMENTUM OF A COALITION OF LABOR UNIONS, PATIENT ADVOCATES, COMPETITIVE MARKET ADVOCATES, AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS TO SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENT THE NEW PBM MARKET REFORM STATUTE, DESPITE ENTRENCHED OPPOSITION TO IT. DURING 2023, AAHCA PROVIDED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING TO MAKE STATE EMPLOYEE REPRESENTATIVES EFFECTIVE IN THEIR NEW ROLE AS PARTNERS WITH THE STATE IN COLORADO IN IMPLEMENTING THE PBM REVERSE AUCTION MANDATED BY THE NEW STATE LAW. PROCEDURES FOR CONDUCTING THE PBM REVERSE AUCTION PROCESS WERE ULTIMATELY AGREED UPON. THE REVERSE AUCTION PROCESS WAS COMPLETED AND THE INCUMBENT PBM PRESCRIPTION DRUG PLAN WAS REPLACED BY A HIGHER VALUE (LOWER COST DRUG PLAN) ALTERNATIVE. AS A RESULT, THE STATE OF COLORADO, ITS TAXPAYERS, AND PUBLIC EMPLOYEES ARE PROJECTED TO SAVE $17.5 MILLION IN REDUCED PRESCRIPTION DRUG COSTS OVER A 5-YEAR PERIOD. -IN IOWA, AAHCA PARTICIPATED ACTIVELY IN ORGANIZING AN IOWA ADVOCACY COALITION TO SUPPORT ENACTMENT DURING 2023 OF A STATE PRESCRIPTION DRUG MARKET REFORM LAW, SF554, THE IOWA COMPETITIVE PHARMACY BENEFIT MANAGER MARKETPLAE ACT, MODELED ON AAHCA PRESCRIPTION DRUG MARKET REFORM LEGISLATION ENACTED IN SEVERAL OTHER STATES. IN IOWA, ENACTMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION WAS PROJECTED TO SAVE STATE TAXPAYERS 20% OF PRESCRIPTION DRUG BENEFITS SPENDING FOR STATE EMPLOYEES WITHOUT CUTTING PRESCRIPTION BENEFITS. AAHCA MEDIATED ACCEPTANCE OF AMENDMENTS TO DRAFT LEGISLATION THAT BROADENED SUPPORT SUBSTANTIALLY. THE PROPOSED LEGISLATION HAS BEEN PASSED BY BOTH CHAMBERS OF THE IOWA STATE LEGISLATURE. -FOCUSING ON COST-SAVING CONGRESSIONAL LEGISLATION, AAHCA HAS ACTIVELY ORGANIZED A BROAD COALITION OF ADVOCATES FOR MEDICARE PRESCRIPTION DRUG MARKET REFORMS THAT WOULD REDUCE COST OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS FOR AMERICA'S SENIORS BY PROHIBITING LINKAGE OF PHARMACY BENEFIT MANAGER (PBM) INCOME TO THE LIST PRICE OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS PROVIDED THROUGH THE MEDICARE PART D BENEFIT. AAHCA ADVOCACY, WHICH INCLUDED A SUBSTANTIAL EARNED AND PAID MEDIA CAMPAIGN OVER THE COURSE OF 2023, CONTRIBUTED TO UNANIMOUS, BIPARTISAN PASSAGE OF THE MODERNIZING AND ENSURING PBM ACCOUNTABILITY ACT BY THE SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE IN NOVEMBER 2023. AAHCA ADVOCACY CONTRIBUTED ALSO TO THE UNANIMOUS, BI-PARTISAN PASSAGE IN DECEMBER 2023 OF THE ALIGNED H.R. 2880, PROTECTING PATIENTS FROM PBM ABUSES ACT IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES BY BOTH THE ENERGY AND COMMERCE COMMITTEE AND THE WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE.