Comment on CMS-2026-2080-0001
ISABELLA HENRYSupportIndividual
Summary: A Cardiology Nurse Practitioner supports the proposed Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program, stating that fixing drug prices will reduce patient anxiety and improve long-term healthcare management for those with chronic conditions like heart failure and diabetes. The commenter highlights the importance of making high-use medications more affordable for patients facing financial burdens.
The Proposal for Drug Price Negotiation Program and Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program is important for many patients. As a current Cardiology Nurse Practitioner in a NYC hospital, many patients struggle with the affordability of medications that are needed for their health care management. Although this is currently a rule that is re-evaluated yearly, having it fixed can help decrease a lot of anxiety for many patients.
Round 1 medications are already proven highly used, such as Eliquis, Jardiance, Xarelto, Januvia, and Entresto to name a few. As I mentioned, working in cardiology all these medications play a huge factor for many of my patients from heart failure to diabetes and high clotting risks helping lower their risk of cardiovascular disease. Seeing these prices become fixed versus changing yearly is a great benefit for both the patients' financial situations and their health care. With the next round of medications saving well over $7 billion annually, this can only improve long-term health care management for many patients, especially those with financial burdens.