Murphy Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Preserve Seniors’ Access to Critical Drugs

Washington, D.C. — Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D., alongside Congressmen Adam Gray (D-CA) and Neal Dunn (R-FL), introduced the Protecting Patient Access to Cancer and Complex Therapies Act, legislation to revert physician reimbursement for administering drugs under Medicare Part B to Average Sales Price (ASP) plus 6 percent, create an additional rebate paid by manufacturers, and hold patients harmless by basing coinsurance rates off the Maximum Fair Price (MFP).

"Part B drug reimbursements to physicians will be crushed by consequences of the IRA’s Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program, and patient access to life-saving drugs will dry up," said Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. "We have been witnesses to the decimation of private practice medicine because of the never-ending cuts to the Medicare fee schedule. These negligent cuts further threaten the viability of oncology, rheumatology, and neurology practices. The short-sighted reimbursement formula established by the IRA for Medicare payments to physicians will be devastating, particularly for oncology patients and providers. This legislation provides a much-needed fix to ensure that patients have the continued access to care and critical drugs they need."

"As the Central Valley continues to face physician shortages, it’s critical to support our rural health providers," said Congressman Adam Gray. "By ensuring our providers will be fairly reimbursed for prescription medications, we will protect rural health centers and those who keep our communities healthy. This bipartisan, commonsense bill will fix existing legislation to preserve provider reimbursement levels and maintain commercial access to prescription drugs for Valley families."

"Ensuring that our providers are fairly reimbursed for prescription drugs will improve patient outcomes and protect rural health centers in Northwest Florida and across the country," said Congressman Neal Dunn, M.D. "I’m proud to support this commonsense reform that addresses changing market dynamics to support patients and providers alike."

"This Protecting Patients Access to Cancer and Complex Therapies Act will ensure that cancer patients and those with complex illnesses maintain access to their physician-administered drugs," said Dr. Scott Sellinger, President of LUGPA. "Without this bipartisan legislation, LUGPA doctors and the cancer patients we serve could have been collateral damage in policies designed to reduce drug prices."

"IPA applauds Congressmen Greg Murphy, Adam Gray and Neal Dunn for reintroducing the ‘Protecting Patient Access to Cancer and Complex Therapies Act’ and their ongoing bipartisan leadership on this important issue," said Doug Ghertner, President, Infusion Providers Alliance. "This critical legislation will ensure that patients with complex illnesses, such as multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, arthritis and many orphan conditions, maintain access to their infused or injected medications to treat those conditions in IPA members convenient, community based, non-hospital settings.This legislation addresses an unintended consequence of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which will significantly reduce physician reimbursement in the effort to lower drug prices. By protecting physician practices and infusion providers from steep cuts to their reimbursement for the administration of infusion drugs, Congress can ensure that it achieves its desired level of cost savings without compromising patient access."

"As a physician, Congressman Murphy well understands the numerous pressures that independent medical practices face in keeping their doors open to treating patients," said Ted Okon, Executive Director, Community Oncology Alliance. "We applaud his leadership, along with Congressman Gray and Congressman Dunn, in introducing the Protecting Patient Access to Cancer and Complex Therapies Act. This technical fix to the Inflation Reduction Act will alleviate yet another reimbursement cut and administrative burden that threatens seniors’ access to high-quality, affordable, and accessible cancer care and treatments for other serious diseases." 

Background
The IRA reduced Medicare reimbursement for certain Part B drugs from Average Sales Price (ASP) plus 6 percent to the Maximum Fair Price (MFP) plus 6 percent. 

Reimbursement for cancer, neurological, and autoimmune compromised patient treatments could decrease by $56.3 billion over 10 years due to these changes.