Deirdre Cummings
Legislative Director, MASSPIRG
617-747-4319
[email protected]
STATEMENT: Bill addressing high prescription drug prices passes House
Media Contacts
Bill headed to conference committee for House and Senate to work out final language
BOSTON – The Massachusetts state House of Representatives passed An Act relative to pharmaceutical access, costs and transparency, H.4891, addressing high prescription drug prices. The Senate passed a similar bill in December, so the two bills now head to a conference committee where the House and Senate must work out the differences before a final vote sends it to Governor Healey.
While the details are not finalized, the bills address drug costs by bringing prescription drug manufacturers and Pharmacy Benefits Managers (PBMs) into the state health care cost trends and oversight process. They also provide for licensure and oversight of PBMs, empower state agencies to review in more detail the pricing of certain drugs and ensure consumers get the lowest cost available for their prescriptions at the pharmacy.
In response, MASSPIRG Legislative Director Deirdre Cummings, released the following statement:
“We are pleased the state House and Senate has passed critical legislation to tackle skyrocketing prescription drug prices. Drug costs are a leading driver of healthcare spending in Massachusetts. Right now, people are paying too much for the treatment they need, and this reform will help rein in the always-rising cost of critical medications. No one should go broke just to fill a prescription.”
In May, Cummings testified before the Joint Legislative Committee on Health Care Financing in support of prescription drug pricing reforms.