New Data Shows Increase Of Children With Autism

Caucus, issued a joint call for increased awareness and expanded access to care, education and support services for families touched by autism.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to new data showing an increase in the prevalence of autism in children throughout the United States, Reps. Chris Smith (R-4th) and Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Co-Chairs of the Congressional Autism

The new data - released by the Centers for Disease and Control (CDC) - revealed that 1 in 36 children have autism spectrum disorder, marking a significant increase from previous estimates of 1 in 44 children across the country.

“Autism is on the rise across the United States - and my home state of New Jersey has the third highest rate of autism in the nation,” said Smith, who has authored four major laws to combat and treat autism, including the Autism CARES Act of 2019, which provides $1.8 billion to fund research, early detection and treatment for children and adults with autism through 2024.

“While much progress has been made to support the autism community, we must do better to ensure those affected by autism have access to the education and services they need to live healthy, independent lives - especially and including as they ‘age-out’ of school-based programs and become adults,” Smith said.

“As Co-Chair of the Congressional Autism Caucus, and as a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I have been committed to increasing funding for autism research and programs that serve people with autism and their caregivers,” said Cuellar. “The new autism prevalence numbers released by the CDC indicate there is still much work to be done.”

“I look forward to continuing to work with my caucus Co-Chair, Rep. Chris Smith, and my colleagues in the House to deliver crucial investments in autism research,” Cuellar added.

Senator Questions Incentives That Drive Up Cost Of Prescriptions

Capitol Comments

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, during a hearing questioned witnesses about the impact pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) have on the prescription drug supply chain and how their warped incentive structure drives up prices for patients and consumers. PMBs are entities that manage prescription drug benefits and pharmacy networks on behalf of health plans, em- ployers, and other payers.

“Pharmacy benefit managers are key players in alleviating a patient’s financial burden at the pharmacy counter as they frequently set patient outof-pocket costs based on a drug’s list price. The higher the list price, the more the patient pays, an obvious burden,” said Sen. Menendez. “Less obvious, but equally concerning, is that PBMs benefit significantly from high list prices and have no incentive to choose lower-priced drugs to drive down patient cost. PBMs extract rebates from manufacturers based on list price in exchange for a manufacturer’s drug receiving formulary placement. Those rebates are passed on to plans and employers, but almost never to patients.”

Jonathan Levitt, a Founding Partner of Frier Levitt Attorneys at Law located in Pine Brook, NJ, served as a witness during the committee hearing. He agreed with the Senator that it would be better for patients if the prescription drug supply chain was de-linked from the list price and if PBMS and other supply chain entities were paid flat fees for the services they provide.

Sen. Menendez emphasized how PBMs prefer prescription drugs with a higher list price versus those with a lower list price, as appears to be the case for Humira biosimilar drugs introduced into the market to treat rheumatoid arthritis, because they can obtain larger rebates. PBMs do this even though the patient would pay significantly less if they selected the drug with the lower list price.

“The Pharmacy Care Management Association which represents the PBMs, includes research on their website that states, “High list prices hurt patients who must pay these prices. If list prices were lower, out-of-pocket payments based on list prices would be lower and more affordable,” added the Senator. “If PBMs themselves acknowledge lower list prices would help patients at the pharmacy counter, why would they still place preference on higher list price products when a drug company has given them a better option for patients?”

The Senator highlighted his concern about how mergers and acquisitions in recent years have resulted in CVS Caremark, Express Scripts, and OptumRx now controlling approximately 80 percent of all

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