PAN leads 24 organizations in letter to CMS on Medicare reform implementation

The PAN Foundation recently submitted a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) with nearly five pages of detailed feedback about plans for the 2025 roll out of the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan.

A total of 24 patient and provider organizations, including PAN, signed the letter, commenting on the implementation of the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan. Commonly referred to as ‘smoothing,’ this plan is one of the historic Medicare reforms enacted through the Inflation Reduction Act.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with CMS to shape the implementation of the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan to best meet the needs of the people who will enroll, including prioritizing patient-friendly education,” said Amy Niles, PAN’s Chief Advocacy and Engagement Officer. “PAN has advocated for ‘smoothing’ for the last decade and to see it taking shape in the form of the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan is incredible. It will have a tremendous impact on the ability of many with Medicare to afford their prescriptions and maintain their treatment.”

In the letter, the organizations thanked CMS for meeting with patient groups and incorporating feedback from those meetings into the draft guidance for how the plan will be implemented.

The group’s recommendations to CMS include:

• creating patient-friendly explanations of program details, like calculating monthly payments
• Adding flexibility to monthly payment calculations
• Including clear and actionable language in billing statements
• Requiring plans to provide educational information to patients

The full list of organizations who signed onto this letter includes:

ADAP Advocacy
Alliance for Aging Research
Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network
Colorectal Cancer Alliance
Community Access National Network
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance
Gaucher Community Alliance
HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute
International Myeloma Foundation
International Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia Foundation
Melanoma Research Foundation
Multiple Sclerosis Association of America
Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America
National Association of Medication Access & Patient Advocacy
National Eczema Association
National Gaucher Foundation
National Kidney Foundation
NCODA, Inc.
Patient Access Network (PAN) Foundation
Schizophrenia & Psychosis Action Alliance
The AIDS Institute
The Pink Fund
The Sumaira Foundation
University of Pennsylvania

About the PAN Foundation

The PAN Foundation is an independent, national 501 (c)(3) organization dedicated to helping federally and commercially insured people living with life-threatening, chronic, and rare diseases with the out-of-pocket costs for their prescribed medications.

Since 2004, we have provided more than 1.1 million underinsured patients with over $4 billion in financial assistance. Partnering with generous donors, healthcare providers, and pharmacies, we provide the underinsured population access to the healthcare treatments they need to best manage their conditions and focus on improving their quality of life. Learn more at panfoundation.org.