Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease Urges Lawmakers to Address Ongoing Gaps that Undermine Patient Access and Innovation, Build on Reforms

May 15, 2025 (WASHINGTON, D.C.) – The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) today issued the following statement in response to the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s advancement of reconciliation legislation:

“Medicaid is a lifeline to millions of Americans living with chronic diseases and disabilities. PFCD shares concerns about the health and financial impacts of Medicaid cuts on America’s most vulnerable populations. We urge policymakers to tread carefully to avoid diminishing access to the care needed to improve health in America and on which 72 million Americans rely.

“At the same time, we support several reforms included in the measure, including provisions increasing transparency, fairness, and accountability among pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) in Medicaid and Medicare Part D, which enjoy bipartisan support. Reforms like this are essential to improving access and affordability for the more than 190 million Americans living with one or more chronic conditions.

“We also support changes to provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that disincentivize researching FDA approved medicines for rare diseases. Inclusion of the Orphan Cures Act addresses that deeply problematic provision in the IRA and will encourage much needed research.

“The House, however, left unaddressed another bipartisan IRA reform effort, the Ensuring Pathways to Innovative Cures (EPIC) Act. The EPIC Act would ensure that small-molecule medicines, often preferred by patients because they are easier to take at home, receive the same 13-year exemption timeframe as biologics under the Medicare Drug Pricing Program. Without that reform, the research and development shift away from small-molecule drugs will continue to the detriment of the millions of Americans with unmet medical needs. We encourage the Senate to include this needed reform when they take up the package.

“PFCD strongly urges lawmakers to make progress on reform efforts by pursuing comprehensive, patient-centered solutions that promote health, protect access and coverage, enhance medical innovation, and ultimately reduce the burden of chronic disease on individuals, families, and the U.S. health care system.”

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