When a cancer patient can't access a newly approved therapy. When a rural hospital closes. When an insurer denies a treatment a doctor already approved. These aren't isolated failures — they're the predictable result of policy designed around systems, not people.
Patients Rising exists to change those policies. We work at the federal and state level to lower the costs patients actually pay, demand accountability from institutions that serve them, and protect access to the medical innovations they depend on.
Because the patient in the room deserves someone fighting for them in the room where policy is made.
Patients Rising translates patient-centered principles into practical policy solutions at the federal and state level.
Our advocacy focuses on three core policy pillars that guide the issues we prioritize and the reforms we support.
Policies that reduce financial barriers to care by giving patients greater transparency and control over healthcare spending while ensuring insurance protects families from catastrophic costs.
Key policy areas
Protection from excessive out-of-pocket costs
Insurance benefit design reform
Expansion of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)
Financial protections against medical debt and bankruptcy
Responsible use of technology to reduce healthcare costs
Ensuring healthcare programs, institutions, and emerging technologies operate transparently and safely, delivering measurable benefits to patients.
Key policy areas
340B program accountability and reform
Charity care standards for tax-exempt hospitals
Oversight of taxpayer-funded healthcare programs
Patient safety and care environment standards
Responsible governance of AI in healthcare
Supporting responsible innovation in biotechnology, digital health, and artificial intelligence while ensuring patients can access breakthrough treatments safely and efficiently.
Key policy areas:
FDA modernization
Accelerating access to breakthrough treatments
Digital health and artificial intelligence
Rare disease innovation
Patients Rising advances targeted federal reforms that protect patients, strengthen accountability in healthcare programs, and reduce financial barriers to care.
Even patients with health insurance can face high out-of-pocket costs that make it difficult to access needed care.
Patients Rising supports policies that strengthen financial protections for patients, improve transparency in healthcare pricing, and ensure insurance works as a true safety net for families facing serious illness.
When healthcare costs are unpredictable or unaffordable, patients are often forced to delay treatment, skip medications, or take on unsustainable debt.
Patients should not face financial hardship simply because they need medical care.
The federal 340B Drug Pricing Program allows hospitals and clinics to purchase medicines at steep discounts intended to support vulnerable patients.
Over time, the program has expanded significantly while operating with limited transparency and inconsistent oversight. Patients Rising supports reforms that ensure these resources are used in ways that directly benefit patients and strengthen the healthcare safety net.
Greater transparency and clear reporting standards can help ensure the program fulfills its original purpose of expanding access to care for patients who need it most.
Programs created to support patients should deliver clear and measurable benefits for the patients they are meant to serve.
Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) are sometimes used to assign a lower value to treatments for people living with disabilities, chronic illness, or rare disease.
Congress has already prohibited the use of QALY-based formulas in Medicare. However, other federal health programs, including Medicaid and the Department of Veterans Affairs, may still rely on these models when evaluating treatments.
Patients Rising supports a consistent federal policy prohibiting the use of QALYs across all federal healthcare programs.
Patients should not be valued differently depending on which federal health program they rely on.
Healthcare policy continues to evolve as new technologies, global supply chain pressures, and regulatory challenges reshape the healthcare system. Patients Rising monitors emerging issues that could impact patient access, affordability, and safety.
These topics represent areas where policy decisions made today could significantly affect patients in the years ahead.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming healthcare, from diagnostics and drug discovery to clinical decision support. Policymakers must ensure these technologies are implemented responsibly while protecting patient safety and privacy.
AI has the potential to improve care, reduce costs, and expand access, but it must be governed in ways that prioritize patient well-being.
As healthcare systems grow more complex, ensuring consistent patient safety and quality of care remains a critical challenge. Policymakers and healthcare leaders must prioritize transparency, reporting standards, and accountability to protect patients.
Patients should be confident that the care they receive meets the highest standards of safety and quality.
Section 232 tariffs on imported materials can influence the cost and stability of healthcare supply chains, including products used in medicines, medical devices, and hospital equipment.
Trade policy decisions can ripple through healthcare markets, affecting affordability, supply stability, and patient access to essential treatments.
Disruptions in medical supply chains can increase healthcare costs and limit patient access to critical technologies and treatments.
Patients Rising regularly analyzes healthcare legislation, regulatory proposals, and emerging policy issues that affect patient access, affordability, safety, and innovation.
Explore our latest policy commentary and insights from across federal and state healthcare policy.
Join our network of patient advocates and get the tools, training, and knowledge to make your voice heard at the local, state, and federal levels.
