Rep. Guthrie's bipartisan bill to increase access to breakthrough therapies for people on Medicaid advances out of committee

Rep. Brett Guthrie addresses the House Energy
and Commerce Committee May 24. (Screenshot) 

U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie's bipartisan bill to help Medicaid patients access breakthrough therapies, including gene therapies, to treat and cure rare diseases was approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday, May 24.

The bill would allow access to innovative treatments and cures by enabling states to voluntarily enter into value-based purchasing (VBP) agreements for drugs, which ties the cost of treatments to patients' clinical outcomes. 

The bill, H.R. 2666, has been dubbed the Medicaid VBPs for Patients Act, or MVP Act. It was one of 19 pieces of legislation considered by committee on May 24, many of them aimed at increasing transparency and competition in the health-care industry.

Guthrie, a Republican from Bowling Green who represents the Second Congressional District, chairs the committee's Health Subcommittee, which approved the bill May 17. He issued a statement saying:

“The Medicaid VBPs for Patients Act would help get life-saving treatments to the most vulnerable patients across the country. With the flexibility this legislation provides, states can make high-cost therapies and cures for rare diseases available without raising taxes or cutting other state programs. Value-based payments ensure states are not on the hook for paying a drug manufacturer for a high-cost treatment if it is not effective and can even save states money in the long-term in caring for a patient.”

Guthrie added, “I will continue pressing for this legislation that better aligns incentives in health care and helps people have a better life.”

The other sponsors of the bill are Democratic Reps Anna Eshoo of California and John Auchincloss of Massachusetts and Republican Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa and Dr. John Joyce of Pennsylvania.