Legislation Grid and Testimony/Advocacy Statement Assignment Sample Essay
To Prepare:
- Select a bill that has been proposed (not one that has been enacted) using the congressional websites provided in the Learning Resources.
The Assignment: (1- to 2-page Legislation Grid; 1-page Legislation Testimony/Advocacy Statement)
Be sure to add a title page, an introduction, purpose statement, and a conclusion. This is an APA paper.
Part 1: Legislation Grid
Based on the health-related bill (proposed, not enacted) you selected, complete the Legislation Grid Template. Be sure to address the following:
- Determine the legislative intent of the bill you have reviewed.
- Identify the proponents/opponents of the bill.
- Identify the target populations addressed by the bill.
- Legislation Grid and Testimony/Advocacy Statement Assignment Sample Essay
- Where in the process is the bill currently? Is it in hearings or committees?
Part 2: Legislation Testimony/Advocacy Statement
Based on the health-related bill you selected, develop a 1-page Legislation Testimony/Advocacy Statement that addresses the following:
- Advocate a position for the bill you selected and write testimony in support of your position.
- Describe how you would address the opponent to your position. Be specific and provide examples.
- At least 2 outside resources and 2-3 course specific resources are used.
By Day 7 of Week 4
Submit your completed legislation grid and testimony/advocacy statement.
Part 1: Legislation Grid Template
Use this document to complete Part 1 of the Module 2 Assessment: Legislation Grid and Testimony/Advocacy Statement
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| Health-related Bill Name | Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act (PDPRA) of 2019 |
| Bill Number | S.2543 (116th) |
| Description | The PDPRA was introduced to the floor of the house by Senator Grassley Chuck on 25th September 2019 (S.2543 – 116th Congress (2019-2020): Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2019, 2019). The finance committee endorsed the legislation by a 19 – 9 ballot, with minor amendments to the original chairman’s mark. The bill seeks to amend numerous requirements ad programs associated with prescription drugs’ prices covered by Medicare and Medicaid by focusing on eradicating several competition obstacles, enhancing Part D of Medicare benefit design on outpatient prescription medication, and lowering the cost of medications (Adler et al., 2019) Legislation Grid and Testimony/Advocacy Statement Assignment Sample Essay. |
| Federal or State? | Federal |
| Legislative Intent | To enhance access to quality medical care to all Americans by seeking to curb the rising cost of prescription drugs (Kanavos et al., 2020). The PDRPA legislation targets to mandate the Center for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) to issue specific information associated with drug discounts and refunds, as well as payments between pharmacies, medical insurance, and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) (Kang et al., 2019a). Similarly, the bill seeks to lower the yearly out-of-pocket (OOP) spending threshold; mandate drug manufacturers to publish refunds to the CMS for a rejected quantity of particular single-dose medications under Medicare, as well as rebates for CMS for certain prescriptions under the Medicare that the average pharmaceutical company’s price rises faster than the country’s inflation rate (Adler et al., 2019). The bill aims to tackle all the entwined issues and practices that impede attempts to reduce costs and distort incentives within the country’s prescription medication system. |
| Proponents/ Opponents | Proponents:
Sponsored by one senator, 19 approved it at the committee level |
| Opponents:
Nine senators opposed it at the committee level |
|
| Target Population | All Americans seeking medical treatment |
| Status of the bill (Is it in hearings or committees?) | At the moment, the PDRPA was introduced to the Senate Finance Committee on 25th September 2019, and it has been placed on the senate’s legislative agenda order No. 225 (S.2543 – 116th Congress (2019-2020): Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2019, 2019). It was re-introduced on 20th July 2020, when it was read twice and referred to the Senate Finance Committee (S. 4199 Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2020). The PDRPA has not received adequate press coverage unlike the related bills like the S.1505 Medicare Prescription Drug Fraud Prevention Act. |
| General Notes/Comments
|
In general, the PDRPA legislation targets to tackle the entwined challenges marking the U.S. prescription drug system. Streamlining the benefits framework of Part D of the Medicare benefit provides the possibility to expand the desired recipient’s financial safeguards while rectifying inaccurate incentives that bloat drug spending. |
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Part 2: Legislation Testimony/Advocacy Statement
Good afternoon all, I am Janelle McEwen, an MSN, BSN holder, a registered labor and delivery nurse (RN) at Northside Hospital, Georgia. Today, I am here not only as an RN but also a citizen to request your backing in co-sponsoring and proposing the S.2543 policy titled the Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2020, which has been introduced at the floor of the house and is currently placed on the senate’s legislative agenda order No. 225 (Kanavos et al., 2020). Presently, the U.S. prescription drug system is marked by numerous challenges, with the principal one being the exorbitantly high costs of prescription medications, mainly those providing limited value by both medical plans and patients (Mathis, 2021). Available statistics show that industrialized countries get reduced actual (net) and list prices for nearly all prescription medications and restrict the use of medications with minimal clinical impacts, leading to substantially lower spending (Mathis, 2021). Consequently, America alone makes up approximately 80% of all global pharmaceutical profits (Adler et al., 2019). Thereby, the above raises queries regarding our spending on prescription medication, and the unmatched high costs result in affordability and accessibility challenges that burden the taxpayers and patients.
The ultimate goal of the Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2020 is to tackle the entangled challenges that characterize our prescription medication system. Revolutionizing the design of Medicare’s Part D benefit provides the opportunity to add beneficiary fiscal safeguards by amending distorted inducements that swell spending on prescription drugs (Kang et al., 2019b). In particular, the legislation will create an approximately $3,100 OOP limit on drug expenses, which will be a prized consumer safeguard (Mathis, 2021). The policy’s benefit restructure entails components targeted at reducing fees for expensive medications, including decreasing the amount of federal reinsurance paid to Part D plans for high-cost patients and mandating brand drug companies to pay a novel 20% rebate off the list costs for medications used by beneficiaries who have attained their OOP cap instead of the 70% refund presently needed in the Medicare Part D coverage gap (Rome & Kesselheim, 2021). Besides, your support of the bill would decrease the Part D premiums by approximately $6 billion, the beneficiary cost-sharing in Part D by nearly $25 billion, and deficits by >$100 billion over the next decade as approximated by the Congressional Budget Office (Adler et al., 2019). Legislation Grid and Testimony/Advocacy Statement Assignment Sample Essay Therefore, kindly join the >70% of the U.S. citizens supporting the lowering the cost of prescription drugs and co-sponsor the PDRPA bill.
References
Adler, L., Ginsburg, P., & Lieberman, S. (2019, October 3). Understanding the bipartisan Senate Finance prescription drug reform package. USC Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/usc-brookings-schaeffer-on-health-policy/2019/10/03/understanding-the-bipartisan-senate-finance-prescription-drug-reform-package/
S.2543 – 116th Congress (2019-2020): Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2019, (2019) (testimony of Chuck Grassley). https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/2543
Kanavos, P., Ferrario, A., Vandoros, S., & Anderson, G. F. (2020). Higher U.S. branded drug prices and spending compared to other countries may stem partly from the quick uptake of new drugs. Health Affairs, 32(4), 753–761. https://doi.org/10.1377/HLTHAFF.2012.0920
Kang, S. Y., Distefano, M. J., Socal, M. P., & Anderson, G. F. (2019a). Using external reference pricing in Medicare Part D to reduce drug price differentials with other countries. Health Affairs, 38(5), 804–811. https://doi.org/10.1377/HLTHAFF.2018.05207
Kang, S. Y., Distefano, M. J., Socal, M. P., & Anderson, G. F. (2019b). Using external reference pricing in Medicare Part D to reduce drug price differentials with other countries. Https://Doi.Org/10.1377/Hlthaff.2018.05207, 38(5), 804–811. https://doi.org/10.1377/HLTHAFF.2018.05207
Mathis, R. (2021). Drugs and value. Health Affairs, 40(12), 1978–1978. https://doi.org/10.1377/HLTHAFF.2021.01728
Rome, B. N., & Kesselheim, A. S. (2021). Raising Medicaid rebates for drugs with accelerated approval. Health Affairs, 40(12), 1935–1942. https://doi.org/10.1377/HLTHAFF.2021.00762 Legislation Grid and Testimony/Advocacy Statement Assignment Sample Essay