Public Engagement Events

CMS hosts a series of public engagement events as part of the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program. The virtual public engagement events provide an opportunity for patients, beneficiaries, caregivers, consumer and patient organizations, and other interested parties, such as clinicians and researchers, to share input relevant to drugs selected for negotiations. 

During these events, CMS solicits input relevant to the selected drugs, the condition(s) that the selected drug may be used to treat, and other medications that may be used to manage those conditions. This includes information related to the clinical benefits of the selected drugs compared to therapeutic alternatives, how the selected drugs address unmet need, and how the selected drugs impact specific populations. 

IPAY 2027 Public Engagement Events   

CMS hosted a livestreamed town hall meeting for all selected drugs, which was focused on the clinical considerations related to the selected drugs. CMS also hosted 15 private (i.e., not livestreamed or open to press or general public) patient-focused roundtable events, one for each selected drug for patients, patient advocacy organizations, and caregivers. These events occurred between April 16 – 30, 2025. 

CMS released redacted transcripts for the town hall meeting and each roundtable event after all the events ended. To maintain fidelity with speakers’ remarks, the transcripts reflect speakers’ language and word choices, including colloquial language. The transcripts were lightly edited for readability. Names and other identifying data were redacted for patients, patient advocacy organization representatives, and family members/caregivers according to the Safe Harbor method.

IPAY 2027 Redacted Transcripts 

Roundtable Events:

Town Hall Meeting Sessions:

Additional Information 

Event Attendance and Registration

The town hall meeting provided an opportunity for clinicians, researchers, and other interested parties to share input relevant to the selected drugs, such as clinicians’ experiences prescribing and/or managing treatment with the selected drugs or therapeutic alternatives and clinicians’ considerations that drive treatment choice between the selected drugs and therapeutic alternatives. The roundtable events provided an opportunity for patients, patient advocacy organizations and caregivers to share input relevant to the selected drugs, such as patients’ experiences with the selected drugs, patients’ experiences with the conditions and diseases treated by the selected drugs, and patients’ experiences with other medications that may be used to manage those conditions.

To accommodate as many speakers as possible during the town hall meeting, public statements were limited to no more than four minutes per person. To help speakers in planning remarks, CMS provided the following optional discussion topics:

Town Hall Meeting

  • Experience prescribing and/or managing treatment with the selected drug or therapeutic alternatives for the condition(s) treated by the selected drug.
  • Information related to the goals of the treatment for the condition(s) treated by the selected drug, including outcomes used to assess improvement or treatment response.
  • Considerations that drive treatment choice among the selected drug and therapeutic alternatives.
  • Information about the extent to which the selected drug currently represents (or does not represent) a therapeutic advance as compared to therapeutic alternatives.
  • Information about the extent to which the selected drug or therapeutic alternatives currently address (or do not address) an unmet medical need for the condition(s) treated by the selected drug.
  • Any other information about the selected drug, the condition(s) it is used to treat, and other treatments used for that condition(s) that the speaker believes CMS should consider.

Roundtable Events

  • Patients’ day-to-day experiences living with the condition(s) treated by the selected drug, including how the experience may differ for different patient populations as well as patients’ caregivers and families.
  • How the selected drug impacts patients, including both benefits and side effects, as compared to the therapeutic alternative(s), and which outcomes matter most to patients with the condition(s) treated by the selected drug.
  • Any other information about the selected drug, the condition(s) it is used to treat, and other treatments used for that condition(s) that the speaker believes CMS should consider.
  • Any other information about the selected drug, the condition(s) it is used to treat, and other treatments used for that condition(s) that the speaker believes is important to share with CMS.

Submitted Statement

In addition to the opportunity to provide input during a public engagement event, the public was also able to submit written input by March 1, 2025, in response to the 2025 CMS information collection request about selected drugs and evidence about alternative treatments. Submissions could include data on the selected drugs, therapeutic alternatives to the selected drugs, data related to unmet medical need and impacts on specific populations as well as the patient/caregiver experience. 

IPAY 2026 Public Engagement Events 

CMS hosted 10 Listening Sessions, one for each of the selected drugs, between October 30 - November 15, 2023. Below, find redacted copies of the patient-focused Listening Session transcripts. To maintain fidelity with speakers’ remarks, the transcripts reflect speakers’ language and word choices, including colloquial language. Names and other identifying data were redacted for patients, patient advocacy organization representatives, and family members/caregivers according to the Safe Harbor method.

IPAY 2026 Redacted Transcripts 
Additional Information 

Listening Session Attendance and Registration

  • The listening sessions provided an opportunity for patient-focused input relevant to the selected drugs, including information related to clinical benefit of the selected drugs as compared to therapeutic alternatives, how the selected drugs address unmet need, and how the selected drugs impact specific populations. The sessions were listen-only; CMS did not respond to feedback during the sessions.
  • To accommodate as many speakers as possible during each session, public statements were limited to no more than three minutes per person. To help speakers in planning remarks, CMS provided the following optional discussion topics:
  • Patients’ day-to-day experiences living with the condition(s) treated by the selected drug, including how the experience may differ for different patient populations as well as patient caregivers and families.
  • How the selected drug impacts patients, including both benefits and side effects, as compared to the therapeutic alternative(s), and which outcomes matter most to patients with the condition(s) treated by the selected drug.
  • Patient experiences of access, adherence, and affordability of the selected drug as compared to therapeutic alternative(s).
  • Any other information about the selected drug, the condition(s) it is used to treat, and other treatments used for that condition(s) that the speaker believes is important.

The Listening Sessions were open to the public and were live streamed. CMS used a process to randomly select speakers from among the individuals who registered for the chance to speak.

Submitted Statement

In addition to the opportunity to provide input during a listening session, the public was also able to submit written input between September 1 – October 2, 2023, in response to the 2023 CMS information collection request about selected drugs and evidence about alternative treatments. Submissions could include data on the selected drugs, therapeutic alternatives to the selected drugs, data related to unmet medical need and impacts on specific populations as well as the patient/caregiver experience. 

Contact Information

For further information about the public engagement events please contact CMS by email at IRARebateAndNegotiation@cms.hhs.gov with the subject line “Public Engagement Events.”

Page Last Modified:
05/30/2025 02:35 PM
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