WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — Governor Tony Evers and State Representative Lisa Subeck of Madison announced a package of over a dozen bills designed to lower prescription drug prices for pharmacies and consumers that will be introduced during the fall legislative session.
The package is headlined by a proposal that would eliminate co-pays for those on Badgercare, which she says can make a difference to those on a tight budget. Subeck says before she became a Legislator, she worked with many families on Badgercare who still wouldn’t fill prescriptions because of the copays.
“They may have had what was, in my mind, a very small copayment, but that copayment was everything to them. It was the difference between their child getting antibiotics when they needed them and not,” said Subeck. “It was the difference between their asthmatic child getting medications on a regular basis versus ending up in the emergency room because they couldn’t afford the medication.”
Another bill would authorize the state to create a prescription drug purchasing entity which she says would allow the state to use its purchasing power to reduce final costs for consumer.
Other highlights of the package include creating an Office of Prescription Drug Affordability to oversee and regulate pharmaceutical supply, requiring insurers to apply discounts and coupons utilized by consumers to deductibles and annual out-of-pocket maximums, and creating a Patient Pharmacy Benefit Tool to help prescribers take out-of-pocket costs into consideration when choosing between similar medication options.
When asked if the bills would be introduced in a special session Evers noted that his administration hasn’t had much luck trying to get things done that way. He added that the bills are being introduced now to allow everyone time to digest them. “Getting it out now, getting people thinking about it so we can get something done this fall.”
Both Subeck and Evers noted that the proposals came with broad support from both parties and others in the pharmaceutical industry that were part of a recent task force on prescription drug prices. Some were also included in the Governor’s recent budget proposal, but were eliminated by the Joint Finance Committee.
“Republicans wanted to move forward quickly so anything that was brand new just got tossed out of the budget. Having it introduced now by Representative Subeck and others will give people a chance to think through it,” added Evers.
The bills may be taken up this fall if they can find enough Republican support in Madison.
