US Representatives from both ruling parties have introduced a bill that is proposed to amend a title XVIII of the Social Security Act. It is intended to guarantee affordable payment for drugs and biologicals by omitting the prompt pay discounts that are offered to wholesalers from the manufacturer’s average sales price.

The current methodology used to calculate this type of reimbursement decreases payment of cancer drugs to community oncology practices. The consequence is that this often ends up making the purchasing cost greater than the reimbursement, and the only way that practices are able to treat their cancer patients is by paying out of pocket.

Ed Whitfield has stated that patient access to treatment and medication relies on affordable pricing to the oncologists. They are the ones who buy chemotherapy drugs for their patients. The reimbursement problem could be solved by enacting this bill. Both parties are working together for a common cause. This is a strong bipartisan effort that will hopefully remedy one of the greatest dilemmas in oncology practice.