November 26, 2018 – the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule, Modernizing Part D and Medicare Advantage to Lower Drug Prices and Reduce Out-of-Pocket Expenses, that would impose dangerous restrictions on medicines that treat complex conditions, including autoimmune diseases. If finalized as written, the rule would allow health insurance plans serving Medicare beneficiaries under Part B and D to increase the use of step therapy, prior authorization, and other restrictions.

January 25, 2019 – The American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA), an organization dedicated to the eradication of autoimmune diseases and the alleviation of suffering and the socioeconomic impact of autoimmunity, submitted comments on the proposed rule to CMS. As a member of the National Coalition of Autoimmune Patients (NCAPG), a coalition founded by AARDA, the Celiac Disease Foundation signed onto AARDA’s Part B and D Proposed Rule comment letter urging CMS to support and advance policies that facilitate patients’ access to the treatments and therapies that their physicians recommend, and that help avoid negative and costly outcomes such as deteriorating conditions, relapses, and repeated or extended hospitalizations and expensive acute care.

Read the full comment letter here.

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Celiac Disease Foundation Signs Comment Letter to CMS on Proposed Rule Affecting Medicare Beneficiaries