Official Letter to Oversight Committee for the IRA: A Year In Review Hearing
September 11, 2023
The Honorable James R. Comer The Honorable Jamie Raskin
Chairman Ranking Member
U.S. House Oversight Committee U.S. House Oversight Committee
2410 Rayburn House Office Building 2242 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515
Dear Chairman Comer and Ranking Member Raskin,
On behalf of Survivors for Solutions and the patients seeking improved treatments for illness in this country, I am writing you ahead of the “Inflation Reduction Act: A Year in Review” hearing to highlight the dangers of the included Medicare Price Negotiations Program. On behalf of the millions of American patients, I implore you to investigate these egregious policies further.
If policymakers were looking for a way to destroy access to medical innovation for millions of American patients, that is exactly what they accomplished by allowing Medicare to use price control policies within the program. These “negotiations” completely disincentivize manufacturers from producing lifesaving drugs and treatments. The price controls haven't even been instituted yet, and patients are already feeling the impacts as drug companies are being forced to cut drug programs.
Drug manufacturers are responsible for creating lifesaving treatments for chronic illnesses. According to the CBO, each one of these drugs takes many years and anywhere from $1-2 billion to produce. Manufacturers are incentivized to create these drugs, knowing that they will get a return on their investment that will allow them to stay in business and keep creating the drugs that patients rely on. This delicate system provides innovative treatments and should not become another victim of government overreach.
The Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program threatens to cut off the spigot of innovation and force companies to redirect their drug R&D investments. As a 30-year survivor of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), I understand how important it is for myself and other patients to have hope that the medical innovation ecosystem keeps providing innovative and, for many, lifesaving treatments. Without the access to care that these scientists and researchers have provided me, I would be in a much worse state. My health journey is a testimony to the criticality of preserving medical innovation, as I credit medical breakthroughs for helping me raise an amazing family, have a satisfying career in public policy, and more independence. I am confident that the pipeline of treatments I needed to afford better health wouldn’t have been available had the disincentives of the IRA been in place then.
At the hearing, I ask that you consider the needs of patients who rely on these innovative solutions to survive and maintain their quality of life. Please remember the patient’s perspective and consider these questions:
We have already seen evidence both abroad and here in the US of price control policies strangling research and development efforts for drugs that treat cancer, autoimmune diseases and more. If these types of policies are already harming patients that this program is claiming it wants to help, why would the government continue down this path? And further, risk it spilling into the private market as well?
How will patients be assured that their access to treatments will not continue to be sidelined by politicians?
How will CMS properly consider the opinions of patients in the implementation process of the Medicare Price Negotiations?
It feels like we continue to be on a one-way track of solutions when it comes to healthcare but what are some additional policies that Congress can explore to ensure that patients will continue to have access to a wide range of medical options if these price controls are implemented?
Thank you again for examining the IRA, and I hope that the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability recommits to fostering innovation and access in this country for patients like myself.
Sincerely,
John Czwartacki
Founder and Chairman of Survivors for Solutions