Programs

  • Program 1 [2020]

    Despite the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, America's Agenda: Health Care for All (AAHCA) programs to advance affordability of high-quality health care for all Americans made significant progress, particularly in the AAHCA focus on improved affordability of prescription medications. During the course of 2020, AAHCA supported the building of broad citizen coalitions, uniting businesses, labor unions, and other stakeholders around an Americas Agenda-designed bipartisan strategy to significantly reduce cost of prescription drugs in employment-based health plans in five states: Maryland, New Hampshire, Colorado, Minnesota, and Ohio. AAHCA advised and supported the efforts of these state coalitions to education the public and policy makers about sources of prescription drug cost increases the fastest growing component of overall health cost increases with the objective of achieving prescription drug savings for state governments, taxpayers, and public employee and private sector health plans. In each of these state efforts, in AAHCA built on the success of our policy initiative in New Jersey, where implementation of the Americas Agenda-designed public policy strategy for creating a dynamically competitive marketplace for pharmacy benefit managers captured $2.52 billion in prescription drug savings over 5 years for state taxpayers and the New Jersey State Employees Health Plan. The following are highlights of achievements of AACA programs in advancing affordability of prescription medicines in 2020: In Maryland, AAHCAs educational work won endorsement from Marylands Prescription Drug Affordability Board (PDAB), which issued a letter to state legislators expressing PDAB support the AAHCA-designed state strategy to address long-standing State concerns about the rising cost of prescription medicines. Following AAHEF coordination of dialogue between state legislators in New Jersey and Maryland, the Maryland Assembly enacted the The Maryland Competitive Pharmacy Benefits Manager Marketplace Act in March 2020 with overwhelming bipartisan support.In New Hampshire, AAHCA led in creation of the PBM Accountability Project of New Hampshire, a broad coalition uniting businesses, labor unions, and other stakeholders in support of the AAHCA-designed, bipartisan strategies to reduce cost of prescription drugs for state employees, tax payers, and the state government. Following an extensive public education campaign and growing public support, the The New Hampshire Prescription Drug Marketplace Act was introduced in the New Hampshire State Senate based on New Jerseys successful implementation of the Americas Agenda-designed strategy to reduce prescription drug costs in public sector health plans. With support from both business and labor leaders in the state, the New Hampshire bill expanded the solution for reduction in prescription drug costs beyond state employees to allow for participation of New Hampshire private sector health plans, as well. The Senate passed the bill with a unanimous vote. It was enacted with an overwhelming majority by the New Hampshire House of Representatives and signed into law by Governor Sununu in June 2020.During 2020, AAHCA led in formation of state campaigns to educate the general public and unite state businesses, labor unions, and other citizen organizations behind bipartisan state policies to reduce cost of prescription drugs in Ohio, Colorado, and Minnesota. In Colorado, mounting public support led to introduction of the Competitive Pharmacy Benefits Manager Marketplace Act, also based on New Jerseys successful implementation of the Americas Agenda-designed strategy.
    Geographies
    Not indicated
    Dates
    Jan 1, 2020 – Dec 31, 2020
    Source
    990
    No causes provided
    No populations provided
    –
    $2.1M

  • Affordable Health Care Advocacy

    During the course of 2022, Americas Agenda (AAHCA) continued our ongoing work in building and supporting broad citizen coalitions that unite businesses, labor unions, and other stakeholders around an Americas Agenda-designed strategy to significantly reduce cost of prescription drugs. Americas Agenda: Health Care for All, has worked to advance our mission to assure affordable health care for all Americans in initiatives in a half dozen states over the course of 202. Here, we highlight our work in three states: Colorado, Minnesota, and Ohio. AAHCA advised and supported the efforts in each of these states to educate the public and policy makers about drivers of prescription drug cost increases the fastest growing component of overall health cost increases with the objective of achieving prescription drug savings for state governments, taxpayers, and both public and private sector employment-based health plans. In each of these state efforts, in AAHCA built on the success of our policy initiative in New Jersey, where implementation of the Americas Agenda-designed public policy strategy for creating a dynamically competitive marketplace for pharmacy benefit managers captured $2.52 billion in prescription drug savings over 5 years for state taxpayers and the New Jersey State Employees Health Plan. Our efforts achieved significant advances toward our goal of significant and sustainable reduction in cost of prescription drugs. The following are highlights of our accomplishments in these three states over the course of 2022: In Minnesota, AAHCA organizing and support of a broad coalition of state businesses, labor unions, patient advocates, independent pharmacists, and other stakeholders overcame entrenched opposition to effective implementation of SF 2178, which was enacted with extensive Americas Agenda support the preceding year. The statutory reform has transformed the way pharmacy benefit manager contract proposals are evaluated and pharmacy benefit management services are procured. Americas Agenda provided technical assistance to state legislators on a joint Senate/House oversight committee with responsibility for overseeing the reverse auction process for procurement of prescription drug services for approximately 200,000 state and local government employees and dependents. The outcome of the Americas Agenda-designed initiative was state savings of approximately $65 million per year in spending of state taxpayer funds for public employee prescription drug benefits.In Colorado, AAHCA organizing and support of a broad coalition of labor unions, patient advocates, and other stakeholders overcame a number of obstacles to effective implementation posed by entrenched opponents of the Competitive Pharmacy Benefits Manager Marketplace Act, which was enacted with extensive Americas Agenda support the preceding year. The Colorado statutory reform has transformed the way pharmacy benefit manager contract proposals are evaluated and pharmacy benefit management services are procured in the state. Americas Agenda advocated successfully for direct participation in pharmacy benefit services by representatives of state employees who stand to benefit, along with tax payers and state government, from success of the reforms in reducing prescription drug costs. Americas Agenda provided technical assistance and training to make state employee effective in their role as partners with the State in Colorados reformed pharmacy benefit manager services procurement process.In Ohio, AAHCA organized support from a coalition of patient advocates, labor unions, and other stakeholders behind an innovative approach to reforming the state prescription drug marketplace through a strategy we refer to as Duty of Care, which would limit prescription drug manager practices that exploit perverse prescription drug market incentives to increase, rather than reduce, costs of prescription drugs. Americas Agenda participated in drafting model Duty of Care legislation to serve as a template for introduction in several states. With Americas Agenda support, the concept has been proposed for prospective enactment by the Ohio State legislature.
    Geographies
    Not indicated
    Dates
    Jan 1, 2022 – Dec 31, 2022
    Source
    990
    No causes provided
    No populations provided
    –
    $8.2M