ALLvanza is committed to helping improve the lives and advance the priorities of Latinx and underserved communities across the United States. It is our belief that the health and wellness of a nation is best reflected by the state of healthcare in underserved populations. However, as demonstrated with this pending proposal, Congress and the Trump Administration have chosen to exclude these communities from the policymaking process, which in turn could have a negative impact on the ability of underserved communities to access needed medical resources.
A one-size-fits-all healthcare policy does not work. Freedom of choice, access, and resources for the personalized care of diverse populations are essential to the well-being of underserved communities. However, the pending IPI rule, which would arbitrarily set prices of medications in the United States based on prices in foreign countries, would import discriminatory value-based assessments that further alienate those most vulnerable. Furthermore, as our President and CEO Rosa Mendoza wrote just last month, disincentivizing investment and stifling innovation would only further harm disadvantaged communities.
Instead, like the outline we shared with members of the 116th Congress on healthcare equity guidelines, lawmakers and this administration should steer the healthcare industry towards consumer-focused and consumer-driven solutions that utilize methods to improve patient access and reduce out-of-pocket costs rather than arbitrarily assign value to patients’ health and well-being.
We encourage the administration to abandon adoption of this rule, and work on patient-centric solutions that bridge the health equity gap, utilizing a holistic and intersectional approach that promotes social justice by eliminating health disparities for diverse populations.