NCCS Opposes Most Favored Nation (MFN) Rule: New Medicare Part B Drug Payment Model Will Harm Patients

The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) opposes the Most Favored Nation (MFN) Model for reimbursing Medicare Part B drugs. The MFN Model was released by the Trump administration last week as an Interim Final Rule.

This model would drastically change the way Medicare pays for certain drugs, including many oncology drugs, and could limit access to life-saving therapies for cancer patients. The rule acknowledges that the savings is achieved by reducing utilization. The rule states, “… a portion of the savings is attributable to beneficiaries not accessing their drugs through the Medicare benefit, along with the associated lost utilization.”

NCCS has long advocated for reforms to the “buy and bill” system of reimbursing for Medicare Part B drugs. However, achieving savings by preventing patient access to the drugs they need will harm cancer survivors and is not an acceptable strategy to address the issue of high drug costs.

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