As insurers move away from fixed co-payments on certain prescription drugs, many patients with life-threatening illnesses are feeling the financial impact.  Co-payments of only $10, $20, and $30 are increasingly being replaced with a new system that requires on average 20-33 percent of the total costs of Tier 4 drugs to be paid by the patient.  This is a financial burden that many are struggling to afford.

In an effort to protect patients and assure access to safe medical therapies, NPAF has joined the Alliance for a Stronger FDA; a national campaign to educate the public, media and policymakers on the need to increase the FDA's appropriations in order to ensure adequate funding for new public health initiatives.

In our continued effort to provide the patient's voice in improving access to, and reimbursement for, high-quality healthcare through regulatory and legislative reform, NPAF has recently joined the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease; a national coalition committed to raising awareness of policies and practices that save lives and reduce health costs through more effective prevention and management of chronic disease.

The Wall Street Journal recently addressed the drastic increases in expenditures for specialty-drugs over the last several years.  High priced medicines to treat cancer, multiple sclerosis and other rare diseases are prompting payers to focus more of their attention on reigning in spending for some of these costly therapies.