{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2023/11/sen-johnson-and-finance-committee-republicans-new-medicaid-rule-risks-disrupting-patient-care", "Sen. Johnson and Finance Committee Republicans: New Medicaid Rule Risks Disrupting Patient Care", "2023-11-02", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "WI", "Ron Johnson", "J000293", "www.ronjohnson.senate.gov", "ronjohnson", "https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON\u2013 On Friday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) joined Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-Idaho.) and nine other Senate Finance Committee Republicans in sending a letter regarding the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed rule to change Medicaid Drug Rebate Program (MDRP) operations in ways that offer no material benefit for patients. In the letter to Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, the senators urged the Administration to withdraw problematic components of the proposed rule and to work with Congress to develop improvements to the Medicaid program so patients have access to cutting-edge, life-saving prescription drugs.\n\nThe senators note, \u201cWhile we share some of the agency\u2019s objectives, including preventing certain problematic practices within the prescription drug supply chain, many of the [rule\u2019s] proposed changes defy longstanding statutory understanding and impose costly new mandates, creating fiscal uncertainty for states and risking patient access to the most innovative therapies and cures.\u201d\n\nThey identify several problems with the proposal, including \u201cstacking\u201d to compute the \u201cBest Price\u201d benchmark, which would create technical complications and risk undercutting the policy\u2019s core objectives by disincetivizing larger price concessions.\n\nThe senators also highlight the lack of a patient-oriented justification for the proposal\u2019s price verification survey, noting that the proposed rule seeks to establish a survey process for certain \u201chigh cost\u201d covered outpatient drugs, like cell and gene therapies, instead of addressing the access barriers identified by states, patients, and providers.\n\nThey end the letter, \u201cWe urge CMS to preserve the MDRP\u2019s statutory balance consistent with Congress\u2019s intent by withdrawing the misguided proposals that risk disrupting patient care. We would welcome the opportunity to work with you to improve the Medicaid program so that patients have access to cutting-edge, live-changing prescription drugs.\u201d\n\nSens. Johnson and Crapo were joined on the letter by Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas), John Thune (R-S.D.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), John Barrasso, M.D. (R-Wyo.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.).\n\nFull text of the letter can be foundhere.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2023/11/sen-johnson-and-finance-committee-republicans-new-medicaid-rule-risks-disrupting-patient-care"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.3381749633699656, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}