Soaring drug prices take a toll on governments, employers, and families. Taxpayers support R&D at the front end and still foot the bill for expensive drugs at the pharmacy counter.
Higher drug prices increase premiums for everyone.
California leads on addressing the escalating cost of prescription drugs and holding pharmaceutical companies accountable for their skyrocketing prices.
California Senate Bill 17 —
The state’s landmark drug price transparency bill passed in 2017 —provides transparency into pharma’s skyrocketing drug pricing tactics and helps hold pharmaceutical manufacturers to similar reporting standards as others in the health care industry. The pharmaceutical industry spent years stalling transparency legislation in the state legislature. There’s more to be done, but this landmark law is paving the way for more sustainable, affordable prescription drug prices.
California Assembly Bill 824 –
intended to end the harmful “pay-for-delay” practices by pharmaceutical and generic drug manufacturers and lower prescription drug prices for California consumers by hundreds of millions of dollars a year, it was signed into law in 2019.
Pay-for-delay agreements, also known as reverse payment settlements, occur when major brand-name pharmaceutical companies pay off generic manufacturers to delay entering their lower-priced generic versions of the drug into the market for a set period of time. Pay-for-delay agreements take money from patient pockets to unfairly increase drug company profits. Bringing more generic drugs into the marketplace to ensure competition helps all Californians have access to more affordable health care.
California Health Plans
are providing a critical service to consumers by picking up the majority of the tab for the costliest medications.
- Overall, health plans paid 92.4% of the cost of the 25 Most Costly Drugs, including generic, brand name, and speciality.
- DMHC-regulated health plans paid more than $9.6 billion for prescription drugs in 2019, an increase of almost $600 million from 2018.
Giving A Heads
Up On
Price Hikes
Drug companies will give payers notice of major price increases for the most expensive drugs
Helping Plan
For
Increases
Payers can plan ahead for significant price increases on medications
Providing Data
To Inform
Solutions
Lawmakers can review historical trends on drug costs to inform solutions
Creating
Public
Accountability
Public will have access to basic information on what drives price hikes and drug spending
Stay Informed
Stay up to date on the fight against runaway prescription drug prices.
Prescription drugs are already expensive enough. #AB97 would give Drug Companies a blank check to continue raising prices with no accountability. Learn more here >> https://t.co/sh2MUkG8Ol https://t.co/FDoudMltlO
It’s no secret that #BigPharma is a major factor in overall rising health care costs. But did you know that Big Pharma’s drug pricing also impacts your health care premium? Learn more: https://t.co/kSicYoBlNu https://t.co/dufJiyZO3B
#AB97 would increase premiums by over $24 million in the first year alone. California legislators must oppose this expensive bill backed by drug companies >> https://t.co/sh2MUkG8Ol https://t.co/9d2UIVn64D
When prescription drug companies raise prices, health care premium costs must also rise. It’s time to rein in prescription drug costs! Learn more here >> https://t.co/LX1pLarWvk
