FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 8, 2023
Contact: Summer Johnson
sjohnsonn@riesterpublicaffairs.com
WASHINGTON, DC – Patients Rising NOW Co-founder and CEO Terry Wilcox issued the following statement today regarding the passage of H.R. 485, the Protecting Health Care for All Patients Act, out of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health.
The bill fully bans the usage of Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) in any government programs. The QALY is a discriminatory equation currently used by the government and health insurance to determine whether medical treatments should be covered, but its influence over patients’ access to treatments and services looms large for the patient community.
“This was a years-in-the-making victory for patients on Capitol Hill today. Our faith was proved true in our elected representatives, who worked together to change old, discriminatory, and demeaning life calculations. Everyone in the room agreed that patient lives are worth fighting for, and we cannot allow discrimination in U.S. policy to continue against us.
On behalf of the 133 million American adults with chronic disease, we are thankful for the leadership of Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers and to the Health Subcommittee Democrats for working with their colleagues across the aisle to ensure patients will no longer be discriminated against because of their health or physical status.”
