Category Archives: Featured

Arthritis 101 Congressional Briefing

Arthritis 101 and Prescription for Access – Making Sure Your Voice is Heard!

Arthritis knows no political affiliation. It affects more than 50 million adults and an estimated 300,000 kids in the U.S., regardless of where they live or for whom they voted. We want to assure you that your voice is being heard by both Republicans and Democrats, especially as lawmakers consider changes to our healthcare system.
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Arthritis Foundation Advocate Awards

Staci Penner and Graci Diggs Selected for Advocacy & Access High Honors

Staci Penner and Graci Diggs have devoted their voices, stories and wholehearted advocacy efforts to helping the arthritis community live better lives. Today, we celebrate their advocacy efforts by announcing their selection for the Arthritis Foundation’s Edward M. Kennedy Advocacy Leadership Award and Emerging Leader Award, respectively.
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New York Arthritis Biosimilars

New York Step Therapy Reform Legislation Signed into Law by Governor Cuomo

As we ring in the new year, we celebrate a major step therapy legislative win in New York! An increasing number of health insurers around the country are utilizing fail first or step therapy practices that require patients to try and fail one or more formulary medications before providing coverage for the originally prescribed non-formulary medication. Rather than taking into account the needs of the individual patient, insurers are determining drug sequences based on cost. These practices can vary wildly insurer to insurer with no consistency on how to establish or apply these fail first protocols.
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Medicare Part B Demonstration Proposal Withdrawn

Victory – Medicare Part B Demonstration Proposal Withdrawn!

Arthritis Advocate Medicare Part B Demonstration Proposal
Arthritis Foundation Advocate, Amy Barron, along with Senator Rob Portman (R-OH).

Amy Barron lives with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis. Her treatment includes biologic infusions that are administered under careful supervision by her physician. When Amy receives her infusion, she is in a familiar environment – her rheumatologist’s office – and her care is supervised by someone who knows her unique medical history, understands the complicated nature of her condition and can monitor her treatment and knowingly respond to adverse reactions.
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Ohio Arthritis Biosimilars

Ohio Biosimilar Substitution bill signed into Law by Governor Kasich

Imagine that your pharmacist substituted the biologic drug prescribed by your physician for a different drug, an interchangeable biologic product, without your physician being informed. For many people in Ohio who are taking biologic drugs, this scary scenario was a potential reality.
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Arthritis Patients Access Treatment

Arthritis Foundation Meets with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services & America’s Health Insurance Plans to Continue the Fight in Improving Patient Access

Our work in identifying and addressing issues that are affecting your access to care and drug costs continued this past month as we met with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP).
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Medicare Part B Demonstration Proposal Withdrawn

21st Century Cures Act Passes House of Representatives – A Big Win for the Arthritis Community

Thanks in large part to the hard work of our Advocates, the 21st Century Cures Act passed the House of Representatives on Nov. 30, clearing a major hurdle as the bill moves closer to enactment. If enacted, this comprehensive bill will improve access to life-changing care through several initiatives including: Continue reading 21st Century Cures Act Passes House of Representatives – A Big Win for the Arthritis Community

barriers arthritis care

Arthritis Advocate Gives Patient Perspective on Access to Care at Congressional Briefing

For 14 years, Elizabeth Krempley has lived with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). She has also lived with the difficulty of affording the high cost of her medications and the burden of getting her medications covered by insurers. She has not always been able to take her drugs as a result of those difficulties, resulting in adverse health consequences.
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Arthritis Industry Forum

Patient Voice Has Strong Representation at 2016 Arthritis Industry Forum

Representatives from the employee benefits and pharmaceutical fields convened with members of the arthritis patient community, Arthritis Foundation and the federal government in Washington, DC, on October 5-6, 2016, to discuss issues related to arthritis patient barriers to health care. The two-day event featured insightful presentations from industry experts covering topics from how employers make employee benefit decisions to the evolution of healthcare reform.
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