Advancing Fair Drug Pricing Through Policy and Purpose
This past week, our Conversations in Health: Global to Local seminar class had the privilege of meeting Kristi Martin, a leading voice in health policy reform whose career spans government, philanthropy, and consulting.
Martin currently serves as a director at Camber Collective, where she works to translate complex health policies into actionable strategies for organizations. Her experience is especially relevant to one of today’s most pressing health issues: the cost of prescription drugs.
During her time as chief of staff and senior advisor at the Center for Medicare within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Martin played a pivotal role in launching the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program, a cornerstone of the Inflation Reduction Act. This program, for the first time in history, gives Medicare the authority to directly negotiate prices for certain high-cost prescription drugs. It represents a major shift toward making essential medications more affordable for millions of patients.
The foundation for this effort comes from years of research and policy debate, reflected in Martin’s previous roles and published work. During our conversation, Martin touched on topics she delved into in her published work. The Commonwealth Fund’s 2017 issue brief, Getting to the Root of High Prescription Drug Prices, highlighted how monopolies, lack of generic competition, and limited transparency drive up costs. It called for stronger competition, fair pricing, and better consumer protection, which are all principles that continue to shape current reforms.
Later analyses, such as Medicare Drug Price Negotiations: All You Need to Know (2025), explained how the Inflation Reduction Act transformed these ideas into action. Medicare can now select certain drugs, analyze company data, and negotiate lower “maximum fair prices.” This change challenges decades of policy that once prevented any government involvement in price setting. The upcoming 2028 expansion, described by Health Affairs, will extend negotiations to include drugs administered by physicians under Medicare Part B, marking another important step toward comprehensive cost control.
Hearing Martin speak brought these policy milestones to life.
She emphasized that drug affordability is not just a financial issue but a matter of equity and access. Her insights revealed how carefully designed regulations can make health systems more just, balancing the need for innovation with the responsibility to protect patients from unaffordable care.
Personally, I found her message inspiring. I share her belief that effective policy change comes from collaboration between lawmakers, healthcare professionals, and communities. Her perspective reminded me that future health leaders, even those outside of government roles, can contribute to shaping systems that put patients first.
Martin’s career illustrates the power of combining technical expertise with a clear sense of purpose. Through persistence and evidence-based leadership, she helped transform a long-standing policy challenge into a pathway for fairer and more sustainable healthcare. Her story reaffirmed my belief that public policy, when rooted in compassion and accountability, has the power to create meaningful and lasting change.
Bridgett Andres-Osorio (M’26) is a graduate student studying physiology and biophysics at Georgetown University.