Health care providers, employers, manufacturers and health insurance providers recently joined health care consumers for a pharmaceutical forum hosted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt said the forum was an important chance for stakeholders in the pharmaceutical field to get together and share their ideas and concerns.
"Through innovations in life sciences and genomics, we have unprecedented opportunity to cure and manage disease like never before," Slavitt said. "I thank you for your commitment to the discovery and development of these vital treatments, and also your growing cognizance of public concerns regarding the accessibility of these medicines."
Slavitt said CMS officials have great interest in issues related to the pharmaceutical industry, as Medicare and Medicaid serve more than 140 million U.S. citizens.
"Millions of our consumers — whether Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP or Marketplace — rely on prescription medications to manage chronic illnesses and treat acute conditions," he said. "The science and innovation engines that are creating the medicines of the future will be an instrumental component of the quality of life of today's and tomorrow's beneficiaries."
