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Proposed Drug Pricing Model Could Harm Access to Care for 77 Million Medicaid Beneficiaries

National Minority Quality Forum Releases Issue Brief Proposing Alternative Framework

Washington D.C. (May 20, 2026) — The National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) released a policy brief in May 2025 examining the potential consequences of the Most Favored Nation (MFN) drug pricing model recently established through executive order.

The analysis, titled “Most Favored Nation vs. Mother Nature: How Federal Price Controls Fight Biology—and Patients Lose,” introduced a novel framework for evaluating healthcare policies based on their alignment with biological imperatives rather than purely economic considerations.

“Healthcare policies must work in harmony with human biology,” said Gary Puckrein, Ph.D., President and CEO of NMQF. “The MFN model creates dangerous mismatches between when patients biologically need treatments and when policies make them available.”

The brief identifies five key concerns about MFN implementation:

1. Creation of harmful timing mismatches between disease progression and bureaucratic processes
2. Disruption of innovation ecosystems for conditions affecting Americans
3. Imposition of one-size-fits-all approaches that ignore unique biological needs
4. Importation of discriminatory evaluation tools that devalue vulnerable populations
5. Legal and investment uncertainty that will immediately chill biomedical research

Particularly concerning for NMQF is the model’s reliance on foreign pricing systems that often use quality-adjusted life year (QALY) metrics that systematically undervalue treatments for disabilities, rare diseases, and conditions disproportionately affecting communities of color.

“Americans aren’t just paying for today’s medicines—we’re investing in a medical revolution whose mission is to conserve high-quality, long lives for everyone,” added Puckrein. “MFN ignores this mission and threatens to create ripple effects that will slow breakthrough treatments for all Americans.”

The full policy brief includes alternative approaches that could address affordability while respecting biological realities and can be accessed at https://qr1.be/H4C9.

About the National Minority Quality Forum

Founded in 1998, National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) is a United States-based health care research, education, and advocacy organization whose mission is to reduce patient risk and advance health equity by assuring optimal care for all. The mission is to reduce patient risk of hospitalizations, emergency room visits, disabilities, and death, while also promoting high-quality, long lives, particularly for the most vulnerable. NMQF utilizes data and research to support and mobilize healthcare organizations, leaders, policymakers, and patients in advocating for optimal care for every individual, especially those in minoritized communities. For more information, please visit nmqf.org.

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