Email Congress
How to Make Your Voice Known to Congress:
- Find your elected official’s email information HERE.
- Open your preferred email account and start a new draft.
- Copy and paste the below email template. CC our BEF Team-member Meredith Marden at mmarden@esiason.org
- Hit SEND! You’ve done your part.
HELP Copays Act
Subject: Support the HELP Copays Act to Protect Critical Patient Assistance!
Dear [insert name here],
As a concerned constituent and as an advocate of the cystic fibrosis (CF) community, I urge you to support the The Help Ensure Lower Patient Copays (HELP) Copays Act (HR 6423) to protect patients from copay adjustment programs, including accumulators and maximizers. Insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) use copay adjustment programs to siphon copay assistance away from patients by not counting third-party assistance towards cost-sharing requirements such as deductibles and out-of-pocket (OOP) maximums. The HELP Copays Act restricts the use of these programs by including any third-party assistance toward patients’ individual and family cost-sharing requirements. The act also closes the loophole that allows insurers and PBMs to deem a product “non-essential,” which avoids annually set OOP maximums.
Copay assistance is critical for patients who rely on brand-name drugs without generic alternatives. Insurers and PBMs use copay adjustment programs to prevent overutilization and steer patients towards less expensive care. Cystic fibrosis is a life-limiting genetic condition that primarily affects the lungs and digestive system, and patients living with CF undergo extensive testing and diagnoses to access lifesaving specialty medicines, so overutilization is impossible. Patients should not be punished for seeking the best care possible.
The HELP Copays Act would protect patients from copay adjustment programs and allow copay assistance to work as intended– to make prescription drugs affordable for patients who rely on brand-name drugs without generic alternatives. Copay adjustment programs, while designed to prevent overutilization, are not transparent and can levy financial pain against often unknowing victims. They must be removed from the health insurance marketplace through the HELP Copays Act.
Sincerely,
[Constituent]
Addressing Expired Insurance Subsidies
Subject: Support a Short-Term Extension of the ACA Enhanced Premium Tax Credits
Dear [insert name here]
On behalf of the cystic fibrosis (CF) community and as a concerned constituent, I write asking you to support a short-term extension of the Affordable Care Act Marketplace plan enhanced premium tax credits through a bipartisan bill. Because these credits expired, premium costs doubled for some families, and an estimated 4.4 million people could lose insurance coverage.
We ask you to extend enhanced premium tax credits for Marketplace insurance plans while including reforms like income caps to receive subsidies and addressing fraud in the program. This short-term solution would prevent disruptions in care for our community, while laying the framework for a long-term, sustainable solution, such as capping out-of-pocket costs for Marketplace plan enrollees.
Cystic fibrosis is a chronic, life-threatening genetic condition that primarily impacts the lungs and digestive system, and affects about 40,000 people in the United States. Cystic fibrosis care requires regular medical visits with a team of specialists, specialized equipment and supplies, supplements, and, most importantly for about 90% of the CF community, novel prescription medicines that have drastically improved health outcomes. This network of care, especially high-cost medication, is only accessible to people living with CF through robust and continuous health insurance coverage.
For some families that rely on Marketplace plans for coverage, their premiums could more than double. Families living with CF already struggle with the financial strain of living with a chronic disease, and steep increases in premiums could cause families to choose between essential, lifesaving insurance coverage and their basic needs.
Cystic fibrosis is one of the most successful stories in rare disease, as breakthrough medications have transformed health outcomes for people living with CF over the past decade. We urge you to extend these subsidies to keep healthcare affordable for the people and families who rely on insurance to access lifesaving care.
Sincerely,
[Constituent]
PASTEUR Act
Subject: Support the PASTEUR Act to Defend Against Antimicrobial Resistance!
As a concerned constituent and as an advocate of the cystic fibrosis (CF) community, I urge you to support the passage of the PASTEUR Act (H.R. 2940/S. 1355) to combat the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR is a rapidly evolving danger to the American public and disproportionately affects people living with CF. People with CF require treatment with antimicrobial medicines from a young age to fight recurring lung infections, so they are at a greater risk of their infections becoming increasingly resistant over time, leading to end-stage disease and complicating transplant eligibility.
The PASTEUR Act is a proposed bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would address the current lack of an effective pipeline for antimicrobials by spurring investment in novel antimicrobial development. This act supports a subscription-style model that ensures that innovators have a sustainable financial incentive and path to profitability, thus removing a significant barrier to antimicrobial development. The PASTEUR Act not only funds the production of new antimicrobials, but also creates diagnostic tools, surveillance systems, vaccines, and other alternative treatments to ensure that new medicines are quickly generated and used safely and effectively.
To protect the lives of people living with CF and all those whose lives are threatened by AMR, I urge you to act now and quickly pass the PASTEUR Act.