Ask Your Representatives In Congress To Delay The NBPP 2021 Rule That Makes It Harder For Patients To Use Coupons To Afford Their Prescriptions.

Now Is NOT The Time To Raise Costs For Health Care Consumers!

A new rule from the US Department of Health and Human Services will unfairly raise the costs of prescription medications for millions of Americans. Consumers for Quality Care (CQC) is fighting to delay these changes and we need your help.

Out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs are a major concern for millions of Americans. Rather than delivering on the promise to make prescription drugs more affordable, this new rule from the Trump administration will actually increase out-of-pocket prescription drug costs for some Americans. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) 2021 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters (NBPP) allows for the expansion of co-pay accumulator adjustment programs, in which insurers bar drug manufacturer coupons that consumers often use to lower their drug costs at the pharmacy counter from counting toward their annual cost-sharing limits. 

Americans are already struggling during the coronavirus public health crisis. Historic levels of unemployment mean millions of people have lost their employer-sponsored health insurance and even fewer are able to afford their out-of-pocket health care costs. By allowing insurers to implement co-pay accumulator adjustment programs, the Trump administration will:

• Increase out-of-pocket costs for countless Americans overnight: The new proposed rule would increase out-of-pocket costs for many Americans overnight by encouraging insurers and pharmacy benefit managers to prevent coupons from applying to cost sharing maximums. When their coupon is exhausted mid-year due to this practice, many Americans will simply be unable to afford their medications, leading many to make tough choices or simply stop taking the medications their doctors prescribe.
• Make it harder for the millions of Americans with chronic conditions who rely on co-pay assistance to afford their medications: 133 million Americans, or 40% of the population, live with chronic diseases. For many of these patients, prescription drugs are often necessary for survival. Already, people with chronic conditions face significant barriers to getting the medicine they need, including having to get prior authorization for their prescription drugs and step therapy. If plans stop counting coupons towards out-of-pocket maximums, these problems would be compounded with untenable copay costs.

Please take a moment to send a letter to your federal representatives voicing your concerns. Our leaders must address this important issue to help protect the most vulnerable Americans, many of whom are already facing severe economic hardships due to the coronavirus pandemic.