The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services  (CMS) administration is proposing new cost reduction changes to your Medicare coverage which will limit the drugs available to you.  These changes will negatively affect anyone needing treatment in any of six protected classes of medications.  These currently protected classes include cancer drugs, antidepressants, drugs to treat psychosis, anti-seizure medications, medications to prevent the rejection of transplanted organs, and HIV-AIDS drugs.
 
 The proposed legislative changes would give Medicare insurers the ability to require "step therapy." This means patients will first have to try lower-cost medications even if their doctors disagree as to their effectiveness or if they are appropriate.  The proposed legislation would also allow Medicare insurers to remove certain drugs from their formularies so that they would not be available to their subscribers.   Blaming drug costs as the main driver of our out-of-control healthcare costs is misguided.  Blaming only drug costs ignores the many other out-of-control items that go into our healthcare burden, like the out of control costs that are attached to both hospital stays and hospital procedures.  
 Limiting drug access will not solve the problem, but it will cause us physical and economic pain and suffering.  The time has come to let CMS (Medicare and Medicaid), our members of congress and the president know that we demand that CMS continue to protect people with cancer, those who need antidepressant medications, drugs to treat psychosis, anti-seizure medications, medications to prevent the rejection of transplanted organs, and HIV-AIDS drugs.   Patients need their doctors to make treatment decisions, not insurance companies. Our doctors have our best interests in mind; our insurance companies have their own best interests driving their decision making.  
 We demand that CMS (Medicare and Medicaid) continues to protect the six protected classes of medication. To not continue to offer this protection is bad medicine, endangers lives, is bad governance, and would be a disgrace on our nation. This Petition is co-sponsored by: Cancer ABCs (www.CancerABCs.org) and   Prostate Cancer International (www.PCAInternational.org) Prostate Conditions Education Council (www.ProstateConditions.org)  Us Too International  ( www.UsToo.org )  To add your organization contact: info@CancerABCs.org