- By Victor Mejia
What if a policy meant to lower drug prices actually made it harder to get life-saving treatments—especially for communities already facing major health disparities?
That’s the warning laid out in a powerful new report from the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF):
“MFN vs. Human Sustainability: How Federal Price Controls Fight Biology—and Americans Lose”
As debates over prescription drug costs heat up again, this report takes aim at a controversial policy known as the Most Favored Nation (MFN) Executive Order, originally signed by President Trump in 2020. The order aimed to reduce Medicare drug costs by tying U.S. prices to the lowest amounts paid in other countries like Canada, the UK, and Germany.
Sounds fair on the surface—but NMQF argues it’s a dangerous oversimplification.
Price Control vs. People Control
The MFN rule would force Medicare to pay foreign-style prices for drugs like chemotherapy, diabetes treatments, and specialty care medications. But here’s the catch: those prices are based on systems that often exclude or undervalue diverse populations, including Black, Latino, and Indigenous communities.
And worse, drug companies could respond by limiting supply or pulling products, cutting off access for patients who need them most.
Five Reasons the MFN Rule Puts Patients at Risk
According to NMQF, this policy:
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Ignores how biological urgency makes delays dangerous
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Threatens future innovation in treatment development
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Penalizes patients with complex conditions
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Imports foreign cost metrics with racist and ableist bias
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May cause drug shortages and less choice in care
As NMQF puts it: “Biology doesn’t pause for policy.”
A Smarter Path Forward
Instead of copying flawed international models, the report calls for:
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Value-based pricing that rewards outcomes
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Patient-centered care models
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Stronger investment in clinical trials that reflect our communities
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Transparent and accountable drug supply systems
Read the Full Report
This is a must-read for anyone who cares about equitable access to medicine.
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