Let My Doctors Decide Responds to CMS’ Final Rule on Part D’s Six Protected Classes

Washington, DC (May 17, 2019) – Randall Rutta, Chair of the Advisory Task Force, Let My Doctors Decide issued the following statement in response to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) final rule, which maintains the six protected classes within the Medicare Part D program:

“We are pleased that CMS recognizes that Medicare beneficiaries living with serious chronic illnesses need these protections to have meaningful access to prescription medicines. Unfortunately, not all beneficiaries with serious life-threatening diseases enjoy those protections. Our recently released report card demonstrates the negative impact that step therapy policies have on patient access to needed medicines. It’s an unfortunate case study of what can happen if current protections erode further. Let My Doctors Decide looks forward to continuing its work educating patients, doctors and lawmakers about the detrimental effects that step therapy can have on patient health and the doctor-patient relationship.”

About Let My Doctors Decide

Let My Doctors Decide is a national partnership of health care leaders working to support a simple goal: treatment decisions should always be made by patients and trusted health care professionals, not insurance companies or pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).

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