The PAN Foundation joins leading national patient advocacy organizations to urge Congress to act on prescription affordability

The PAN Foundation and nationally recognized patient advocacy organizations urged Congress to take action to address high out-of-pocket prescription costs in the Medicare Part D program, easing the burden on millions who cannot afford their medications.

In a letter sent to Congress, the group asked House and Senate leadership to pass legislation to cap financial liability for Medicare Part D beneficiaries, the only insured group in the nation who have no annual limit for out-of-pocket costs. 

One of PAN’s key policy priorities for many years has been enacting a cap on annual out-of-pocket costs and smoothing costs throughout the benefit year, key measures to make healthcare affordable and accessible to all. There is strong, bipartisan support for capping and smoothing costs.

“There are millions of people living in the U.S. who simply cannot afford their medications, and the number will continue to grow until Congress acts,” said PAN Executive Vice President Amy Niles, who heads advocacy work for the organization. “We have served more than 1 million of those patients, each of whom came to us because the cost of their healthcare was out of reach. We hope this will be the year we see legislation passed to limit out-of-pocket costs and remain committed to doing our part to increase healthcare access and affordability.”

Organizations signing with PAN include:

• Alliance for Aging Research
• American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
• American Lung Association
• Arthritis Foundation
• Epilepsy Foundation
• Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
• Lupus Foundation of America
• Multiple Sclerosis Association of America
• National Council on Aging
• National Health Council
• National Organization of Rare Disorders
• Parkinson’s Foundation
• The Michael J. Fox Foundation

About the PAN Foundation
The PAN Foundation is an independent, national 501 (c)(3) organization dedicated to helping federally and commercially insured people living with life-threatening, chronic, and rare diseases with the out-of-pocket costs for their prescribed medications.

Since 2004, we have provided more than 1 million underinsured patients with $4 billion in financial assistance. Partnering with generous donors, healthcare providers, and pharmacies, we provide the underinsured population access to the healthcare treatments they need to best manage their conditions and focus on improving their quality of life. Learn more at panfoundation.org.