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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2019 - 2020
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | January 4, 2019 02:11 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Eddie Day Pashinski |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Reintroduction of Prescription Drug Pricing Task Force (Former HB1464) |
| In the near future, I plan to reintroduce legislation that would create the Prescription Drug Pricing Task Force to study the soaring costs of prescription drugs. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, nearly 1 in 4 people in the United States taking prescription drugs report difficulty affording them. Further, the major driver of spending for prescription drugs are costly new specialty drugs, such as medications used to treat cancer and hepatitis C. Many of us have heard of and were outraged over Mylan’s increase of the cost of the EpiPen, the life-saving medication that counters an allergic reaction, from $100 to more than $600 over the course of a few years. As a result of increasing prices, individuals and their families often face the inability to pay for prescriptions that are essential to their well-being and health, even with insurance. Under my legislation, the task force would be composed of members knowledgeable of the issues surrounding consumer protection, the delivery of health care and its associated costs. The task force would be required to issue a report within one year of their first meeting and it is to include their findings, recommendations and any suggested legislative remedies regarding the affordability of prescription drugs and manufacturer costs of development and profit margins. Please join me in co-sponsoring this important legislation. Former Co-Sponsors: PASHINSKI, KINSEY, MILLARD, CALTAGIRONE, O'BRIEN, DRISCOLL, SCHLOSSBERG, SCHWEYER, YOUNGBLOOD, FREEMAN, V. BROWN, HENNESSEY, KORTZ, BOBACK, NEILSON, DeLUCA, HARKINS, DAWKINS, VAZQUEZ AND ROZZI |
Introduced as HB1042