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Drug price transparency
Pharmaceutical manufacturers, insurance companies, and pharmacy benefit managers set prices for the medications that patients rely on every day. But how are they making these decisions? Why does a life-saving drug cost a few dollars per pill one day and then a few hundred dollars the next? Their business models make it hard to know if they are putting profits ahead of patient care, and make it difficult for consumers to hold them accountable. Tell Congress to demand these companies introduce transparency to the general public. Americans spend billions of dollars each year for their products, the least they can do is let us know what we're paying for. Take action
Prior authorization
Your physician knows the best treatment for you. Unfortunately, they’re not always the ones making the final decision. Instead, a process called prior authorization is used to deny or approve treatment prescribed by your physician. Why is approval needed if your physician prescribed the treatment and you’re paying for a health insurance plan that covers it? Learn more
Health system reform
The AMA believes patients should remain at the center of all reform efforts. We are committed to working with leadership in both parties to improve health insurance coverage and health care access so that patients receive timely, high-quality care, preventive services, medications and other necessary treatments. Let's all pledge to put patients before politics. Take Action.
MACRA
Congress passed historic legislation that finally repealed the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula in Medicare. The "Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA)" removed the yearly threat of a “doc fix” that could have jeopardized patients’ getting access to the care they needed. Recently the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule on MACRA which begins to outline the new payment program that will replace the flawed SGR formula. While many of these proposed improvements are a step in the right direction, physicians remain entangled in a complicated web of overlapping and sometimes contradictory regulations that distract them from patient care. Take action
Opioid abuse
Opioid misuse, addiction, overdose and death have become an epidemic in America. In fact over the past 15 years, the nation's opioid epidemic has claimed more than 250,000 lives, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Congress has recently turned its attention to this most urgent issue by passing some initial reforms that would expand physician office-based treatment of patients with opioid use disorders. While this is an encouraging first step, lawmakers have much more work to do. Take action
Telemedicine
Telemedicine is a key innovation in support of health care delivery reform. Correctly implemented, it can be leveraged in initiatives to improve access to care, care coordination and quality, as well as reduce the rate of growth in health care spending. Unfortunately outdated government red-tape often impedes advancements in telemedicine, which can have a negative effect on the patient-physician relationship. Take action