Comment on CMS-2026-2080-0001

My updated comment since 6/23/26: The Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program is something I will advocate for because many patients in the United States continue to struggle with significant hurdles and barriers to affording high prescription drug costs. As a health care professional, it is very concerning and disheartening to see patients with chronic illnesses like heart failure, diabetes, hypertension, and other diseases not receiving the essential, evidence-based practices and clinically proven drugs due to the high cost of drugs (American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, & Heart Failure Society of America, 2022). Many patients in the United States rely on Medicare, and the Part D prescription drug benefit program needs to be updated to cover more drugs at reasonable prices and reduce out-of-pocket expenses, especially for those who are financially struggling or older adults (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2026). I implore the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to emphasize more on prioritizing affordability for these prescription drugs and update their policies, as more research has proven that many modern drugs are essential for chronic disease. For example, sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) and angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors (ARNi) are proven heart failure drugs that help prolong life, improve health outcomes, and reduce hospitalizations American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, & Heart Failure Society of America, 2022). However, despite Medicare Part D having coverage for those types of drugs, there are patients in my clinical practice who require prior authorization for it to be approved for their illness. There needs to be further evaluation of administrative barriers because if the cost of prescription drugs continues to rise and become inaccessible, patients will have a difficult time adhering to their medication regimen and ultimately be readmitted to the hospital and drive up the cost of healthcare (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2026). References American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, & Heart Failure Society of America. (2022). 2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA guideline for the management of heart failure. Circulation, 145(18), e895–e1032. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001063 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2026). Medicare drug price negotiation program. https://www.cms.gov/initiatives/medicare-prescription-drug-affordability/overview/medicare-drug-price-negotiation-program