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<p>With a focus on the following priorities, we are advocating for policies that improve healthcare access, advance autoimmune research, and protect patient rights:</p> <ul> <li>Work to improve healthcare affordability and patient access to care by seeking reforms to out-of-pocket medical expenses.</li> <li>Support reduction of the impact of burdensome utilization management protocols on patients suffering from autoimmune and immune-mediated conditions.</li> <li>Address copay accumulator modifiers, prior authorization, step therapy, and other barriers to care.</li> <li>Ensure that drug pricing reform does not impact the ability of patients to access necessary treatment.</li> <li>Support legislative proposals that address health disparities and promote equity for medically underserved populations.</li> <li>Increase funding for research into autoimmune and immune-mediated conditions, especially rare conditions/diseases.</li> <li>Improve awareness of autoimmune and immune-mediated conditions in Congress.</li> <li>Work to educate and empower the autoimmune and immune-mediated community about biologics and biosimilars and support the reduction of non-medical switching by ensuring decisions are between the patient and provider.</li> <li>Ensure health care decisions are between the patient and provider.</li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </section> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="full-width"> <section class="section section-content background-white color-blue has-margin margin-base has-padding padding-base"> <div class="container container-narrow"> <div class="row"> <div class="col"> <div class="section__content"> <h1 style="text-align: left;">Guiding Principles</h1> <div class="flex max-w-full flex-col flex-grow"> <div class="min-h-8 text-message flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 whitespace-normal break-words [.text-message+&]:mt-5" dir="auto" data-message-author-role="assistant" data-message-id="ca829388-d4dc-49ed-8e09-92670b14d032" data-message-model-slug="gpt-4o"> <div class="flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden first:pt-[3px]"> <div class="markdown prose w-full break-words dark:prose-invert light"> <p>The following guiding principles shape our legislative priorities, ensuring our advocacy efforts remain focused on equity and patient-centered care.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </section> <section class="section section-accordion accordion js-accordion background-white color-blue has-margin margin-base has-padding padding-base"> <div class="container container-narrow"> <div class="row"> <div class="col"> <div class="accordion__section"> <div class="accordion__head"> <h3>Putting Patients First</h3> </div> <div class="accordion__body"> <div class="accordion__inner"> <p><span style="font-weight: 400">It is critical that patients and clinicians be permitted to make patient-focused treatment decisions. Barriers to doctors making informed decisions for their patients pose potentially serious risks of negative health consequences. Pharmaceutical step-therapy, non-medical switching by formulary managers and insurance companies, barriers to specialty care, and other policies that interfere with independent clinical judgment of a patient鈥檚 treatment team do not serve the health of the individual and create harmful obstacles to improved health and wellness.</span></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="accordion__section"> <div class="accordion__head"> <h3>Affordability, Access, and Adherence to Care</h3> </div> <div class="accordion__body"> <div class="accordion__inner"> <p><span style="font-weight: 400">Ensuring the health care of individuals with autoimmune disease requires affordable and accessible care. The availability of copay assistance programs and other programs and policies that facilitate affordability and access to prescribed care for patients are critical for patients with serious and chronic conditions, including patients with autoimmune diseases.</span></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="accordion__section"> <div class="accordion__head"> <h3>Addressing Healthcare Disparities in Autoimmune Disease</h3> </div> <div class="accordion__body"> <div class="accordion__inner"> <p><span style="font-weight: 400">Autoimmune diseases are complex and often difficult to diagnose. Many patients live years without being properly diagnosed, and others are never diagnosed. Of those affected with autoimmunity three-fourths are women. Additionally, people of color are disproportionately affected and frequently face additional hurdles in access to care.</span></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="accordion__section"> <div class="accordion__head"> <h3>Increasing Federal Investment in Autoimmune Research</h3> </div> <div class="accordion__body"> <div class="accordion__inner"> <p><span style="font-weight: 400">The Autoimmune Association is committed to increasing investment in autoimmune research programs through mechanisms such as the Department of Defense Congressionally-Directed Medical Research Program , the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Autoimmune Diseases Coordinating Committee (ADCC), and other autoimmune disease research.</span></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </section> <section class="section section-cta callout"> <div class="container"> <div class="callout__inner"> <h2 class="callout__title">Help Change Policy</h2> <div class="callout__body"><p>Learn how to become an advocate and contact your legislators on critical issues.</p> </div> <div class="callout__button"> <a class="btn btn-pink btn-pink--long" aria-label="Link" href="https://autoimmune.org/get-involved/help-change-policy/" target="_blank"> Learn More </a> </div> </div> </div> </section> </div> </div> <footer class="footer"> <div class="footer__inner"> <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-lg-3"> <a href="https://autoimmune.org/" class="footer__logo" aria-label="Link"> <img data-src="https://autoimmune.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/logo-horizontal.svg" alt="Logo Horizontal" width="236" height="66" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" class="lazyload" style="--smush-placeholder-width: 236px; 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