Golden State Today

Julie Gill Shuffield, the California Executive Director of Patients Come First, emphasized the life-changing potential of innovative medications and said that decisions about medical treatments should be left to healthcare professionals and patients, rather than being influenced by pharmacy middlemen, insurance companies, or government price controls, which can obstruct access to innovative drugs and stifle medical advancements.

In an Op-Ed on Desert Sun, Shuffield explains the significant impact that innovative drugs can have on health outcomes, particularly in managing and preventing chronic illnesses in California. One example highlighted is the new class of Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medications, which have revolutionized obesity treatment and are reshaping healthcare. Despite their potential, global supply chain disruptions and disparities in access have left many patients struggling to obtain these critical drugs, underscoring the need for equitable access to medical innovations.

Chronic illnesses, especially obesity, are widespread in California, with over 38% of residents living with at least one chronic condition. Shuffield stresses the importance of giving patients access to innovative medications that can not only improve their quality of life but also lower long-term healthcare costs by preventing the onset of new chronic conditions. 

“Decisions about what medicines or therapies a patient needs are always best left in the hands of those who understand the full medical picture of the individual – namely, medical professionals and patients themselves. Arbitrarily picking winners and losers regarding who gets to access innovative medicines by pharmacy middlemen and insurance companies is shortsighted,” Shuffield writes. 

“Government leaders must resist the urge to engage in coercive price setting, as doing so will stifle the very innovation that has brought these drugs to market,” Shuffield continued. “Unfortunately, patients continue to face real barriers to securing that ounce of prevention in the modern healthcare system thanks to innovation-destroying actors like government price-setters or pharmacy benefits middlemen.”

Julie Gill Shuffield is the California Executive Director of Patients Come First. The organization focuses on overcoming barriers created by large insurers and government policies that limit care options, especially for those with chronic conditions. By leveraging a network of executive directors across the country, they work to represent patient and consumer interests at the grassroots level. The organization also emphasizes the importance of patient-centered policies over the influence of special interests.