How the MAHA Strategy Could Change Your Prescription Costs
The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) strategy aims to cut drug costs through competition, transparency, and prevention. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, leads this initiative, which focuses on promoting preventive care and reducing medication costs for as many people as possible. Preventing diseases, especially in children, is intended to alleviate strain on the healthcare system.
What does this mean for those who already have medical conditions like COPD or diabetes, however, and struggle to afford their medications? Learn more about MAHA goals.
What Is the MAHA Strategy and How Does It Work?
- MAHA shifts focus from disease treatment to disease prevention. It encourages community-based health initiatives to prompt people to eat healthier and get regular screenings for certain diseases.
- It addresses personal choice when it comes to vaccines. The strategy refers to this as “vaccine transparency,” which strives to enhance vaccine research while providing people with more information about adverse effects.
- MAHA encourages holistic and integrative medicine. This would combine more traditional treatments alongside alternative options such as herbal supplements and acupuncture.
- It proposes lowering medication costs for everyone nationwide. There are numerous ways that MAHA attempts to achieve this.
What Are the Strategies for Lowering Medication Costs Under MAHA?
MAHA is relying on a few strategies to better manage medication costs.
MAHA Will Promote Competition
As part of MAHA, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) aims to improve competition in the healthcare markets.
The CMS will test models that can help level the playing field for providers who practice independently, leading to more competition. If consumers have more options to choose from, it can become a race to the most affordable rates.
MAHA Pushes for Most-Favored Nation Pricing
Most-favored nation (MFN) pricing refers to a contractual clause or trade idea in which a country grants the same terms to all countries they trade with. MFN would require manufacturers to set U.S. prices at similar rates to what other economically comparable countries pay.
MFN strategies would theoretically lower medication costs, which are typically three to five times higher than they would be in other countries. Whether it will actually translate into savings for consumers will depend on many factors, including the practices of insurance companies.
Aims to Boost Price Transparency
Patients are left in the dark when it comes to pricing. MAHA requires that hospitals and other healthcare providers deliver meaningful price information to patients so that they can make more informed decisions.
President Trump recently signed an executive order requiring all hospitals to maintain an accessible display of pricing information and machine-readable files that offer the negotiated rates for each service.
Healthcare providers will also need to post their negotiated rates, and health plans must display their out-of-network payments and the prices they negotiated with providers.
Improves Drug Evaluation
The goal is to speed up the process of getting medications to market while still ensuring they’re safe. The Food and Drug Administration is looking for ways to speed up its approval process by making it more efficient.
If more medications make it into the market, there will be more options for consumers. This not only means that medication shortages won’t spike prices but also that the overall healthcare costs will start dropping.
Promotes Fewer Emergency Room Visits
People who are able to afford their medications every month and take them as prescribed generally see greater improvements in their health. That results in fewer emergency room visits and other medical expenses.
MAHA Will Focus on Preventive Medicine
MAHA attempts to also lower medication costs by preventing the diseases the drugs treat. This strives to address drug shortages that affect the entire country. Shortages cause price hikes and encourage pharmaceutical companies to charge as much as they’d like, with very few restrictions.
If there aren’t as many people struggling with particular conditions, shortages become less of an issue, and medication costs remain low. That is the goal, at least.
Can MAHA Help Lower Your Medication Costs?
In the long run, MAHA strategies could result in lower overall healthcare costs, but if you’re struggling to afford your medications right now, those lower costs may not come soon enough.
One option you have is to turn to patient assistance programs. These programs help you find discounted or even free medications. At Simplefill, our team can do all of the applying for you so that you have a chance to benefit from discounted medications. Learn more about medication discounts in our blog.
Get Affordable Access to Prescription Medications
Simplefill is a full-service prescription assistance company that researches, qualifies, and maintains patients’ enrollment in all sources of assistance available to them.
Apply today by calling 877-386-0206. A caring Simplefill representative will contact you within 24 hours to discuss your application and, if qualified, enroll you in the program.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the MAHA strategy?
The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) strategy focuses on preventive care, holistic medicine, and lowering prescription drug costs through competition, price transparency, and faster drug approvals.
Will MAHA lower my prescription costs right away?
Probably not immediately. While MAHA’s long-term goal is to reduce costs, many patients may not see savings for years.
What is most-favored nation pricing?
It’s a policy that would tie U.S. drug prices to the rates other wealthy countries pay. This could reduce prescription costs, but results depend on how insurers and drug makers respond.
How does preventive medicine help reduce drug costs?
By keeping more people healthy through screenings, nutrition, and lifestyle programs, the demand for expensive treatments and medications decreases, helping stabilize prices.
What can I do if I can’t afford my medications now?
You don’t have to wait for MAHA to lower costs. Patient assistance programs like Simplefill can help you find discounts or even free prescriptions today.
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