Last night, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it was canceling a controversial Medicare Part B demonstration project that it proposed earlier this year. The proposal would have reduced reimbursement for drugs paid under Part B for 75% of providers in the US and would have tested new payment methodologies to reduce spending on drugs. Since clotting factor is covered under Part B, our community would have been affected by this proposal. NHF submitted comments on the proposal expressing concerns about how it could limit access to clotting factor, and asked that CMS exclude clotting factor and the bleeding disorders community from the demonstration. CMS received more than 1,300 comment letters on the proposal, the vast majority of which were similarly negative. Many members of Congress also wrote to CMS and asked it to significantly change or cancel the program.
NHF is pleased that CMS has heeded these comments and decided to not move forward with the proposal. We will continue to advocate for Medicare policies that benefit our community.
