Alexandria, Virginia – August 12, 2022
For years, the National Psoriasis Foundation Patient Navigation Center has fielded calls and emails from individuals living with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis who are unable to afford their medications under their Medicare Part D plan. While broad and complex, today’s House passage of the Inflation Reduction Act enacts crucial patient protections for those covered by Medicare. These protections will go a long way toward ensuring seniors with chronic diseases can afford the care they need.
Of utmost importance to our community, the enacted Inflation Reduction Act includes the following provisions:
- Caps Medicare Part D annual out-of-pocket costs to $2,000, beginning in 2025
- Provides a smoothing mechanism to spread out-of-pocket costs throughout the plan year, beginning in 2025
- Eliminates any patient cost-sharing in the catastrophic phase, beginning 2024
For several years, NPF has responded to the challenges faced by individuals who receive care through Medicare by advocating for the provisions listed above – most recently during our 2022 Capitol Hill Day in May. We are thrilled that Congress has finally enacted these important patient protections. The hard work of all NPF advocates and volunteers has paid off with improved access to needed treatments under Medicare.
While today we celebrate this step toward meaningful reform in Medicare Part D, we are keenly aware that the Inflation Reduction Act is a broad bill that includes other health care provisions, the impact of which is less clear. Concerns that have been raised include whether certain provisions will increase costs in other parts of the health system, impact the pace of innovation, or encourage insurance-mandated utilization management that delays access to medications.
NPF has always believed that finding innovative solutions to complex problems requires bringing all stakeholders and perspectives together. We remain steadfast in this approach. We look forward to working with other leaders in the patient community, the Administration, and Congress to shape the implementation of this legislation. As the new protections are implemented in 2024 and 2025, NPF will expand the Medicare resources the Foundation already offers to include information on these new protections.
About the National Psoriasis Foundation
Serving the community of people impacted by psoriatic disease for more than 55 years with patient support, advocacy, research, and education, the National Psoriasis Foundation is the leading nonprofit representing individuals with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. The mission of NPF is to drive efforts to cure psoriatic disease and improve the lives of more than 8 million individuals in the United States affected by this chronic immune-mediated disease. As part of that effort, NPF created the Patient Navigation Center to offer personalized assistance to everyone with psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis. In recent years, NPF has funded more than $30 million in research grants and fellowships that help drive discoveries that may lead to more and better treatments and ultimately a cure. Learn more at psoriasis.org.
Media Contact
Matt Werbach
NPF Associate Director, Media and Communications
(541) 480-4905