The healthcare landscape in the United States has witnessed a profound transformation in recent years, particularly concerning patient cost-sharing. This session will shed light on alternative funding programs, which have had an increasingly substantial impact on healthcare access, affordability, and the international drug supply chain. The panel will provide an overview of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), its annual cost-sharing requirements, and the importance of its essential health benefit (EHB) designation, to lay the foundation for understanding alternative funding programs; the varying types of alternative funding programs; and share case studies of efforts to protect patients’ interests in the face of these challenges, outlining policy proposals, advocacy efforts, feedback from regulators, and collaborative next steps to mitigate the negative effects of these programs and safeguard healthcare access.