Blue Matter Partner, Milena Sullivan (Tampa, FL) will be attending the 2026 meeting of the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care (AVBCC) in Chicago, October 7-9, 2026.
On Wednesday, October 7 at 8:00 am, Milena will moderate a panel discussion (Key Opinion Leader Session 4, Olympic Suite 5, 10th Floor):
How Oncology Became the “Unprotected Class” and Will It Remain?
Oncology has long held privileged status as one of Medicare Part D’s six protected classes, but that protection is now under quiet siege. With 9 key cancer agents already affected by negotiation and more to come, CMS is forcing price erosion and bending formulary dynamics in key tumors. Part D benefit redesign and PBM reform are fundamentally altering payer incentives. CMMI proposed MFN models explicitly target protected classes. This panel will debate a hard question: Is oncology still a protected class in a meaningful sense, and what does the next wave of access barriers look like for patients, prescribers, and manufacturers?
Panelists:
- Kim A Caldwell, RPh, Former CMS Division Director and Former President of AMCP
- Ryan Urgo, VP, Head of Policy, Lilly
- Mary Roberts, Partner, Blue Matter
