By Sara Wilson
Democratic leaders, health care providers and consumer advocates praised a Colorado board’s decision last week to cap the price of a prescription drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases, the first action of its kind in the country. …
Opponents contend that while price can be an obstacle to getting medication, it is more often a complicated blend of insurance barriers, income level and inability to access financial assistance.
“A UPL does not address the real problems patients identify. Instead of layering a new and untested pricing mechanism onto a system already stacked against patients, the board should focus on reforms that tackle these systemic drivers of unaffordability directly,” a letter from members of the Ensuring Access through Collaborative Health and Patient Inclusion Council coalitions to the PDAB says.