Rewriting the Script for People Living With Chronic Disease is About Much More Than Just Cost

May 20, 2026 (Washington, D.C.) The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) released the following statement in advance of this week’s anticipated Senate vote-a-rama on the reconciliation bill:

“The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease urges Congress to carefully consider the unintended consequences that foreign drug pricing policies could have for Americans living with one or more chronic conditions.

“Patients living with cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, autoimmune disorders, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and rare diseases depend on timely access to innovative medicines and individualized treatment options. Policies that tie U.S. drug prices to foreign government-controlled systems risk importing the same delays, coverage restrictions, and rationing practices that limit patient access in other countries.

“Many of the countries used as reference points for Most Favored Nation (MFN) pricing proposals routinely restrict access to newer therapies and rely on cost-effectiveness measures, including the use of the quality-adjusted life year, or QALY, that can disadvantage older adults, people with disabilities, and patients with complex chronic conditions. The result is reduced treatment choices and delayed access to therapies that can improve or extend lives.

“PFCD is also deeply concerned about the long-term impact these policies could have on medical innovation. Breakthroughs in cancer, cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, rare diseases, and other chronic conditions have transformed patient outcomes and created new hope for millions of families. Importing foreign price controls would weaken the research and development ecosystem that drives future cures and treatment advances.

“Americans living with chronic disease deserve policies that improve affordability and strengthen access without sacrificing innovation, physician and patient choice, or future medical progress. Congress should reject foreign pricing policies that risk undermining patient care and instead pursue solutions that address the true drivers of health care costs while preserving access to life-saving treatments.”

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