PIE Act Gains Bipartisan Momentum Ahead of End-of-Year Push

With Members of Congress back to work after the midterm elections, we remain focused on the critical window Congress still has to pass important pieces of health legislation this year.  

AMCP, energized by the engagement of more than 2,600 members at our recent Nexus conference, has been raising awareness and support for our legislative priority, the Pre-Approval Information Exchange (PIE) Act (H.R. 9297). If enacted, PIE could mean the difference between life and death for Americans by safely expediting the window in which payers review critical economic and clinical information from pharmaceutical manufacturers to determine how they will cover treatments for patients.  

PIE Is a Simple Solution That Could Save Lives 

In the complex world of health policy, PIE offers a simple solution that would let payers conduct their rigorous review of new treatments alongside the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval process, rather than waiting for the FDA to complete its work, which is the current practice. No treatment would reach a patient before FDA approval but allowing payers to begin their process sooner could save the life of a loved one, friend, or neighbor fighting cancer or a rare disease.  

Bipartisan Momentum Growing for PIE 

Your outreach and our collective advocacy efforts on PIE are making a difference!  

Just today, the PIE Act was reintroduced by its lead champion Representative Brett Guthrie (R-KY) to include Representative Anna Eshoo (D-CA) as the Democratic co-lead alongside original co-sponsors Representatives Scott Peters (D-CA), Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Doris Matsui (D-CA), and Michael Burgess (R-TX). Representatives Eshoo and Guthrie are the Chair and Ranking Member of the Health Subcommittee on Energy & Commerce, respectively. Their partnership is huge for PIE, and all six co-sponsors deserve our thanks.  

In Washington, process is a key part of legislating, and having the support of Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee leaders Eshoo and Guthrie gives critical momentum to PIE as we begin the “lame duck” session after the election.  Both are established leaders on health policy in Congress and worked to include the PIE Act as a provision in the House-passed version of the FDA reauthorization bill earlier this Summer. Ultimately, a slimmed-down version of the FDA reauthorization bill was passed that did not include a good number of healthcare priorities. That’s why this end-of-year push and our bi-partisan momentum are so important.    

We are thrilled to see that support for PIE includes co-sponsorship from Chair Eshoo and Representatives Peters, Griffith, Matsui, and Burgess, sending a clear signal that, together with Ranking Member Guthrie, there is growing momentum on both sides of the political aisle to make PIE a reality. We are grateful to all six co-sponsors and stand ready to continue our advocacy alongside them to see that Congress sends the PIE Act to President Biden’s desk for signature.  

Take Action — Your Voice Counts! 

We wouldn’t be here without AMCP’s members and the conversations we started with them in 2016 to learn about the importance of this policy change. The chorus of voices calling for PIE has grown tremendously over the years and it’s having an impact on Capitol Hill.  

If you haven’t done so already, please take a minute to use AMCP’s Grassroots Advocacy platform to send a message or make a call to your U.S. Representative and Senators and ask them to pass the PIE Act this year!