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The National MS Society strongly supports legislative proposals in the revised Senate reconciliation package that will lower the cost of prescription drugs for millions of Americans and provide relief for the nearly 1 million Americans living with multiple sclerosis (MS).

“Eighty-five percent of people with MS want the federal government to do more to control the high cost of MS disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) and we are pleased that the Senate is moving a reconciliation package with proposals to do just that”, said Bari Talente, the Society’s Executive Vice President of Advocacy and Healthcare Access. “We urge Congressional leaders to act with urgency to send this package to President Biden for his signature as soon as possible.”

Proposals included in the revised reconciliation package will:

• Implement a $2,000 out-of-pocket cap on drug costs in Medicare Part D and a “smoothing mechanism” so that people in Medicare can spread their costs over the course of the year:
• Limit drug price increases by implementing rebates if prescription drug prices rise faster than inflation: and
• Direct Medicare to negotiate better prices for select prescription drugs for beneficiaries.

These proposals would have a direct impact on people with MS. Every day, Bob in Minnesota, Judy in Arizona, Diane in Wisconsin and many others risk their health. Medicare beneficiaries Bob, Judy and Diane each made the difficult decision to stop taking their MS DMT so they wouldn’t financially devastate their families. These legislative proposals could put a DMT in reach again. As Judy shared, “$2,000 is a lot of money, but it is more affordable than the almost $7,000 that I would have to pay now for my MS DMT.”

To learn more about the Society’s work to make MS medications more accessible, please click here.