Statement on the Contract Year 2025 Medicare Advantage and Part D Proposed Rule

By Soumi Saha, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs

Premier applauds the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for proposing flexibility to Part D sponsors to treat formulary substitutions of non-interchangeable biosimilars as “maintenance changes” that do not require approval from CMS. It has been known for years that biosimilars can improve patient access to medications while saving the US healthcare system billions of dollars, yet anticompetitive practices by vertically-integrated payers have put their own profits ahead of lowering drug costs for patients by favoring the reference biologic and lucrative rebates. Premier has long advocated for CMS to elevate policy proposals to further encourage the adoption of biosimilars, ensure payment policies are fair and unbiased, and put the patient first.