KCCure has joined with 339 other advocacy organizations urging Congress to halt implementation of a new pricing scheme that could negatively impact kidney cancer patients covered by Medicare. The “International Pricing Index” model, proposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) would affect 50 percent of physicians and hospitals serving Medicare Part B beneficiaries.
Infusion based therapies fall under Medicare part B and would be subject to this experimental policy. Reimbursement rates for life-saving kidney therapies would no longer be based on value or quality, but rather on reference prices determined by foreign countries. The model would reduce access in the short term and hinder medical advancement in the long-term.
Today, advanced kidney cancer patients have a remarkable number of new therapies to choose from. As new immunotherapy treatments replace previous oral therapies in first line setting for metastatic RCC, this new policy could be devastating for many patients and hinder physicians struggling to provide the best care for their patients.
Kidney cancer is most often found in patients over the age of 60 and many of these individuals are dependent on Medicare coverage. We urge Congress to protect kidney cancer patients by halting this ill-conceived proposal and instead seek workable solutions that put the best interest of patients first.
Full text of the letter as well as the entire list of signatories can be found here: 12.10.18 ASP Coalition letter
