To mark the 20th anniversary of Medicare Part D, the MAPRx Coalition brought together the policymakers who drafted Part D, the officials who implement and oversee the benefit today, and the patient advocates who have seen its impact firsthand at an event held at the International Spy Museum on October 20, 2026. The program celebrated Part D’s transformative impact on Medicare beneficiaries since 2006 and explored the future of Medicare prescription drug coverage.
Over two decades, Part D has given tens of millions of older adults and people with disabilities access to prescription drug coverage, and it remains one of Medicare’s most successful programs. As part of this milestone event, MAPRx released a new white paper, Protecting the Promise of Part D: Coverage, Choice, and Affordability at 20 Years. The paper reflects on the evolution of the benefit and recommends policy changes to help ensure Part D’s continued success for the beneficiaries who rely on it.
MAPRx, a coalition convened by the Lupus Foundation of America, is the leading patient voice on Part D policy and works to ensure that beneficiaries’ needs remain central to conversations about Medicare Part D. This gathering highlighted the important role of patient advocates in informing the policy decisions that affect access to care.
Louise Vetter, CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America, welcomed attendees. The audience then heard from John Brooks, Director of the Center for Medicare and Deputy Administrator at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Senior Counselor to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in conversation with John O’Brien, CEO of the National Pharmaceutical Council. They discussed implementation priorities for Part D’s benefit redesign and Medicare drug price negotiations, including how to assess whether lower costs translate into meaningful improvements for beneficiaries. Brooks stressed keeping affordability and access front and center for every group Part D serves: beneficiaries with low drug costs who shop based on premiums, those managing higher out-of-pocket costs, and taxpayers. He also underscored the value of stakeholder input backed by empirical evidence, noting that it carries particular weight with CMS when different types of stakeholders agree on an issue.
MAPRx is committed to keeping patients at the center of healthcare policy by protecting and strengthening Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage for older adults and individuals living with chronic diseases. This principle set the stage for the first panel discussion, where Leah Howard, President and CEO of the National Psoriasis Foundation, spoke with Pam Traxel, Senior Vice President at the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN); Carl Schmid, Executive Director of the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute; and Pat Wildman, Senior Vice President of Advocacy & Government Relations at the Lupus Foundation of America, about the importance of uninterrupted treatment, the annual out-of-pocket cap, and the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan. Panelists noted that Part D created a marketplace for the wave of innovative treatments that has come since the benefit launched. They also pointed to MAPRx’s open enrollment resources as a practical tool for beneficiaries, and to the coalition’s solution-oriented approach to the access challenges patients face.
The second panel discussed what policymakers got right when designing Medicare Part D and how the program can adapt as more innovative treatments and personalized medicines come to market. Moderator Rai Downs, Partner at Tarplin, Downs and Young LLC and FGS Global, spoke with current and former Hill staffers, including Joel White, Partner and Head of the Health Practice at Monument Advocacy and President of the Council for Affordable Health Coverage; Liz Fowler, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Health Transformation Strategies and former Deputy Administrator of CMS; Polly Webster, Senior Health Counsel for the Senate Finance Committee; and Preston Bell, Staff Member, House Ways and Means Committee Health Subcommittee.
Panelists recalled that it was unclear whether Part D would succeed, but that it has flourished since implementation in 2006 with the program remaining remarkably stable from 2006 to 2023. Looking ahead, they urged Congress, CMS, and stakeholders in their advocacy to focus on beneficiaries and stressed protecting today’s benefit as Inflation Reduction Act redesign changes put new pressure on the program.
Louise Vetter concluded the program by reinforcing the value of continued collaboration among the patient community and policymakers.
MAPRx would like to thank our speakers, panelists, and attendees for contributing their time and perspectives, and the Lupus Foundation of America for supporting this gathering. As we look ahead to the next decade of Medicare Part D, MAPRx remains committed to elevating beneficiary voices and strengthening access to affordable prescription medicines.