Oregon to offer lower-cost treatment to people with rare and severe diseases

The Jefferson Exchange

( AboutKidsHealth.ca)

Dr. Emma Sandoe joins the Exchange. She's the director of Oregon Health Authority’s Medicaid Division. Dr. Sandoe leads employees and programs that support Oregon Health Plan (OHP), the state’s Medicaid program, which provides access to health coverage for approximately 1.4 million Oregonians.

Beginning January 1, 2026, Oregon will be able to increase access to lower-cost, lifesaving cell and gene therapies for people on Oregon Health Plan (OHP), the state’s Medicaid program.

Oregon will initially focus on providing lower-cost therapies for people living with sickle cell disease, a genetic blood disorder that affects 120,000 individuals nationally, the majority of whom are Black, African American and/or Hispanic. Approximately 800 Oregonians live with sickle cell disease.

Oregon is one of 35 states that applied in 2024 to join a multi-year initiative with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to negotiate lower costs for innovative therapies. By lowering costs for participating states, the Cell and Gene Therapy Access Model will improve access to transformative treatments for people who have health coverage through Medicaid and live with a rare or severe disease.