It’s 2021: Time to Put Patients First

Let My Doctors Decide (LMDD) is expanding its commitment in 2021 to achieving a simple shared goal: treatment decisions should always be made by patients and trusted health care professionals, not insurance companies or pharmacy benefit managers. We are thrilled at the prospect of working with the new Biden Administration and recently shared our 2021 Campaign Action Plan with the Transition Team and other policymakers at the federal and state level. The goal of our 2021 campaign is to ensure that health care coverage is patient-centered and has a focus on the patient-physician relationship, which ultimately leads to improved health and lower costs.

LMDD continues to advocate for changes at the national and state levels that improve benefit design and ensure coverage that empowers provider decision making, promotes access and adherence, and addresses affordability. Our 2021 campaign urges policymakers, employers, and insurers to adopt a set of straightforward principles that address the barriers that prevent patients and doctors from making treatment decisions.

LMDD Patient Principles represent the core beliefs and objectives of our national campaign:

  • Require that step therapy policies are clinically based on current evidence and used for medical reasons only.

  • Prohibit switching of medication for non-medical reasons without the prescribers’ consent.

  • Leave the final decisions to whether a patient has failed on a therapy with the treating physician, not the insurer.

  • Pass rebates, discounts, copay assistance, and other insurer and non-insurer savings directly to the patient at the pharmacy counter.

  • Assure that what is best for the patients’ health is top priority and is made transparent in health care contracting, including benefit design and coverage policies.

In 2021, LMDD will focus on the adoption of the Patient Principles and legislative, regulatory, and business practice reforms outlined in our Call to Action. It’s time to put patients first.

For additional information visit www.letmydoctorsdecide.org

Farheena Mustafa