The EACH/PIC Coalition submitted comments to the Oregon PDAB in advance of their February meeting. The letter provided feedback to the board on the finalization of their 2025 cost review and provided high-level recommendations on improvements that can be made to the 2026 cost review process.
The letter stated:
“As the board finalizes recommendations to include in the 2025 drug review report, we encourage focusing on solutions that will put patients’ out-of-pocket costs and access to treatment considerations first. As demonstrated in our original pilot Patient Experience Survey: Prescription Drug Affordability and Unaffordability, and now proven in our full patient-facing Version 2.0 of our Patient Experience Study, patient affordability is almostentirely dependent on insurance design, income, cumulative costs, and evolving life situations. Therefore, efforts to address affordability challenges for Oregonians should prioritize patient-centered solutions—including PBM reform such as delinking, formulary stability, and ensuring financial assistance applies to patients’ out-of-pocket costs.”
“We encourage the board to review the policies we have recommended in association with our research. Policies that address these insurance-driven barriers and protect access to effective, preferred treatments are more likely to reduce patient hardship than approaches focused only on drug price.”
“While we appreciate the Board’s willingness to expand patient-facing listening sessions in 2026, we are concerned about the intent and potential effectiveness of these engagement efforts. Specifically, these sessions appear focused more on educating patients about why the Board believes affordability challenges exist, rather than learning directly from Oregonians about why they are struggling to afford their medications. All patient-facing engagement opportunities must prioritize gathering meaningful, patient-driven insights that should inform solutions grounded in their lived experiences and needs.”