Grange issues statement on Pelosi’s drug pricing package

On Friday , September 20, the National Grange issued a statement on the new proposal for sweeping reforms to Medicare Part D – a product many rural Americans rely upon in order to get necessary medications – that the Grange says is based on flawed data.

“Every day, rural Americans encounter a multitude of obstacles when it comes to accessing basic health care and treatments. Unfortunately, this new proposal does nothing to address the challenges facing these patients and instead favors sweeping reforms to Medicare Part D and government price-setting based on flawed value assessments and prices from countries where patient access is already restricted,” the Grange said.

“Though it’s encouraging that legislators continue to explore solutions to health care costs, any changes that place government savings over a patient’s ability to access the most effective care is simply not the answer. Congress must ensure that any approved changes address patient affordability issues today but also preserve and improve our health care system to better meet future patient needs. Medicare Part D works and is popular among our members. Let’s fix what’s broken, not redesign the vehicle. We urge policymakers to reject harmful Medicare restructuring and price setting proposals and focus on solutions that more directly improves patient care and affordability.”