V-BID Update: V-BID Summit Recording Available, IRA Drug Reforms and Rising Cost Pressures

In this Issue:

• 2026 Virtual V-BID Summit Recording Available
• IRA Drug Reforms Linked to Lower Cost-Related Nonadherence
• Public Concern Over Prescription Drug Affordability Reaches Record High
• 1 in 3 Americans Cut Back on Daily Expenses to Afford Health Care
• Scorecard Highlights Primary Care Benefits but Ongoing Underinvestment
• Medicare Alternative Payment Models Linked to Stronger Primary Care

Session 1: Fireside Chat with CMMI Director Abe Sutton

CMMI Director Abe Sutton outlined federal priorities to expand value-based care, improve drug access, and strengthen benefit designs that support affordability and better outcomes.

Session 2: Employing Innovative Technology to Enhance Value and Reduce Waste

Experts explored AI’s potential to reduce administrative burden and improve care delivery, but caution against poorly designed tools that could increase utilization and spending if not implemented with value-focused safeguards.

Session 3: Access to Evidence-Based Preventive Care Services

Discussion emphasized that improving prevention requires reducing financial and system barriers that limit access to high-value services.

Session 3: Access to Evidence-Based Preventive Care Services

Discussion emphasized that improving prevention requires reducing financial and system barriers that limit access to high-value services.

IRA Drug Reforms Linked to Lower Cost-Related Nonadherence

A new study finds that the Inflation Reduction Act’s 2024 prescription drug provisions are associated with a decline in cost-related medication nonadherence among Medicare beneficiaries. Researchers observed a 4.9% reduction in beneficiaries skipping or delaying medications due to cost, and improvement was even greater among beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions.

1 in 3 Americans Cut Back on Daily Expenses to Afford Health Care

A new survey from the West Health–Gallup Center finds that 33% of U.S. adults, about 82 million people, cut back on basic household spending such as food, utilities, or transportation to pay for health care. Financial trade-offs are especially common among uninsured adults, with 62% reporting sacrifices to cover medical costs, though nearly 3 in 10 insured adults report the same. Some respondents report borrowing money or stretching prescription medications to manage expenses.

Public Concern Over Prescription Drug Affordability Reaches Record High

A new KFF Health Tracking Poll finds that 59% of U.S. adults worry about affording prescription drugs, the highest level recorded since the survey began in 2018. About 43% say they did not take medications as prescribed in the past year due to cost, including skipping doses, delaying prescriptions, or substituting over-the-counter treatments. The poll also shows strong bipartisan support for greater government regulation of drug prices, with 72% of adults saying there is not enough oversight today. Public expectations that recent federal initiatives will lower drug prices are mixed and strongly divided along partisan lines.

Scorecard Highlights Primary Care Benefits but Ongoing Underinvestment

A national Primary Care Scorecard shows that access to a regular primary care clinician is associated with better preventive care, fewer hospitalizations and emergency department visits, and lower overall health care spending. However, the report finds that investment in primary care remains limited, with spending accounting for less than 5% of total U.S. health care expenditures. Persistent underfunding and workforce challenges continue to strain the primary care system despite strong evidence of its impact on population health and cost control.

Medicare Alternative Payment Models Linked to Stronger Primary Care

A new Commonwealth Fund issue brief finds that participation in Medicare alternative payment models (APMs) is associated with improvements in core features of primary care, including accessibility, comprehensiveness, continuity, and care coordination. Practices participating in APMs improved on at least one measure within each of these four dimensions of primary care performance. Hybrid payment models without financial risk showed the most consistent improvements across all measures.

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