Tell your lawmakers to support legislation establishing a Prescription Drug Affordability Board this legislative season
With our rural hospitals already under threat, Indiana is considering a bill – SB173 – that has a provision that would risk some types of pharmacies to close, too. But that same bill would do nothing to lower drug prices. So patients still face unaffordable insulin, cancer drugs, and specialty medications.
Some Indiana lawmakers are concerned that pharmacy benefit managers (those who manage drug benefits for insurers) also own certain pharmacies. Their proposed legislation would force sell-offs or closures of some pharmacies – specifically mail-order and specialty pharmacies.
You may not think of your mailbox as a pharmacy window, but for seniors who can no longer drive, patients with chronic conditions, or those without a nearby pharmacy, it’s exactly that. This provision in SB173 would slam that window shut while letting pharmaceutical manufacturers continue charging whatever they want.
This proposal raises patients’ real costs by adding to our transportation costs, time costs, and health costs from reduced access. In concrete terms, it means:
In other words, this part of the bill hurts our people most: Uninsured, underinsured, rural, elderly, and disabled patients. We are exactly the Hoosiers who most need lower drug prices, but we will lose accessible pharmacy care while drug prices stay high. This is not a commonsense way to address affordability issues in our state.
Indiana does not yet have a Drug Price Accountability Board. Now is the time to act.
Legislation establishing a Prescription Drug Affordability Board could be introduced this legislative season – but only if lawmakers hear from constituents that this matters.
Your voice makes a difference. Tell your Indiana state lawmakers to support legislation establishing a Prescription Drug Affordability Board.
1 in 4 adults report difficulty affording prescription medications
Indiana taxpayers spend an average of $1.2B a year on Medicaid prescription drugs, even after manufacturer rebates – based on the three most recent years of data (FY2021–2023). Driven by manufacturers’ list prices, these costs strain state budgets, taxpayers, and small businesses.
Four states can now set Upper Payment Limits on unaffordable medications – power to be used only in extreme cases of runaway drug prices, causing harm to our state’s residents. Indiana could be the fifth.
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✓ Your voice joins other Hoosiers calling for drug price reform
Colorado became the first state to vote for a drug price cap in February 2024, targeting Enbrel (a medication for autoimmune diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis) after its price increased 1,582% since FDA approval. Indiana has the opportunity to take a stand this legislative season.