NORD’s State Report Card serves as an evaluation of state policies pertinent to the rare disease community. With it, NORD hopes to provide a road map to the rare disease community of where each state can improve and, ultimately, push forward the discussion on rare disease public policy.
The Rare Action Network® (RAN) is NORD’s grassroots advocacy network that connects advocates and gives them the tools to support the rare disease community in their state. Learn more.
Below are some key policies that are important to the rare disease community.
There are multiple rare disorders that require special nutrition in order to prevent serious disability and allow for normal growth in children and adults. For many patients living with these conditions, medical nutrition can be the only viable treatment option available.
Newborn screening is one of the most successful public health programs ever enacted, saving thousands of lives each year. Newborn screening allows physicians to catch a heritable disease early and start treatment almost immediately following birth. By doing this, many of the worst effects of a disease can be mitigated.
Innovative new treatments are enabling rare disease patients to live healthier, happier lives. Unfortunately, however, the cost of these medicines can often be prohibitive. Today, many insurers are resorting to methods that shift costs to patients, such as high deductibles and co-insurance, in an effort to sustain the overall healthcare system. In many instances, out-of-pocket costs are outpacing wages, and patients are struggling.
In 2012, the Supreme Court decision in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius enabled states to choose whether or not to expand the financial eligibility for their Medicaid program. Since the decision, a growing number of states have decided to expand their Medicaid programs to cover all individuals below 138 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL). States that have opted not to expand their eligibility have left approximately 5 million Americans without health insurance who would otherwise be eligible for Medicaid coverage. NORD strongly supports expanding Medicaid in every state, as it would increase access to needed health services and allow thousands of Americans with rare diseases to gain health insurance coverage.
Step therapy is a procedure by which insurers (public or private) require a patient to take one or more alternative medications and fail on them before they will cover the medicine preferred by his or her provider. While this is done by insurers as an attempt to control health care costs, step therapy has been increasingly applied to patients with little regard to their medical situation or treatment history. As a result, in many cases step requirements can delay appropriate treatment and ultimately increase costs, not lower them.
It is often the case that addressing issues begins with simply ensuring that rare disease patients have a voice in government. Several states have recognized this and worked with local advocates to create new Rare Disease Advisory Councils (aka Task Forces or Commissions). Their purpose is to evaluate and make recommendations to the state on issues related to health care access and coverage for rare disease patients.
