HCR103 - Expressing support for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission's application to the Cell and Gene Therapy Access Model through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and its Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation.

  89R16409 BPG-D     By: Simmons H.C.R. No. 103       CONCURRENT RESOLUTION          WHEREAS, Cell and gene therapies can transform the lives of   people living with rare and severe diseases that are difficult to   treat; and          WHEREAS, A rapidly growing class of one-time treatments, CGT   can correct underlying causes of such conditions as sickle cell   disease, alleviating symptoms and halting progression; these   treatments have the potential to reduce health care spending over   the long term by addressing the underlying causes of disease,   reducing the severity, and decreasing health care utilization; and          WHEREAS, The high upfront cost of these treatments makes it   difficult for state Medicaid agencies to pay for them; accordingly,   the CGT Access Model was created to improve health outcomes for   people with Medicaid by supporting agreements between states and   manufacturers that will provide for treatments within a framework   that lowers prices for states and ties payment to outcomes; and          WHEREAS, A voluntary program under the Center for Medicare   and Medicaid Innovation of the federal Centers for Medicare and   Medicaid Services, the CGT Access Model tests whether a CMS-led   approach to developing and administering outcomes-based agreements   for cell and gene therapies expands Medicaid beneficiaries' access   to innovative treatment, improves their health outcomes, and   reduces health care costs and burdens to state Medicaid programs;   under the model, CMS and pharmaceutical manufacturers would   negotiate a set of key terms, including pricing and outcome   measures, that would form the basis for individual contracts   between the manufacturer and participating states; participating   states would receive CMS technical assistance and funding; and          WHEREAS, The Texas Health and Human Services Commission has   evaluated the CGT Therapy Access Model and has applied for   admission in order to test its innovative payment and service   delivery models to reduce program expenditures while enhancing the   quality of care; and          WHEREAS, Cell and gene therapies offer potentially   life-changing benefits, and their use for Texas Medicaid patients   with rare and severe diseases holds the possibility of improving   health outcomes while lowering long-term costs to the state; now,   therefore, be it          RESOLVED, That the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas   hereby express support for the Texas Health and Human Services   Commission's application to the Cell and Gene Therapy Access Model   through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and its   Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation.