⚖ Everyone deserves equal access to health care, but many aren't getting it and they may not even be aware they are being denied. The use of quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) measures by payers, including the federal government, have led to the withholding of treatments for seniors, patients with chronic conditions or people with disabilities, because their lives are valued less than a healthy person. Therefore, covering certain treatments for these populations is deemed unaffordable.
While I understand the need to balance costs in our health system, this is wrong. It's discriminatory to vulnerable patient populations.
🏛 Next week, the House is looking to fix this. H.R. 485 will extend the prohibition on QALYS and other similar measures that currently exists in Medicare (passed as part of the ACA) to all federal health programs. But, some Democrats are undermining this important legislation (even though they voted for the same policy in the ACA and IRA) with arguments that have absolutely no standing, especially one.
❌ H.R. 485 obstructs Medicare Drug Price Negotiations. ❌
False. Medicare is already subject to the ACA's existing bar on Medicare's use of QALYs and similar measures. The IRA went even further to bar the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program from using evidence from comparative clinical effectiveness research "in a manner that treats extending the life of an elderly, disabled, or terminally ill individuals as of lower value than extending the life of an individual who is younger, non-disabled, or not terminally ill." And, late last year, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) further confirmed that there is no implication to the program in their official score.
📣 It's time to support this vital legislation to ensure everyone has equal access to lifesaving treatments and cures. #congress #disability #disabilityrights #health #healthcare #healthpolicy #equalaccess
Owner at Complete Care at Home
2moA huge THANK YOU to everyone that worked so hard to make this happen!!