Prescription costs have gotten out of control and families are paying the price.
That’s why I co-sponsored the Prescription Drug Affordability Act, which was signed into law this week. It holds pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) accountable and gives relief to the people who need it most—families, seniors, and independent pharmacists.
PBMs have been making backroom deals for years, driving up prices and steering patients toward the pharmacies they profit from. This law changes that by:
Banning PBMs from funneling patients into their own pharmacies
Ending “spread pricing,” which hurts local, independent drugstores
Requiring that drug manufacturer rebates go back to insurance plans instead of corporate middlemen
Bringing transparency to how PBMs set prices and who profits
Creating a new grant program (up to $25 million annually) to help rural and underserved pharmacies stay open
HB1697 is a huge step forward for fairness and access. Everyone deserves affordable medication and a local pharmacy they can count on. I’ll keep pushing for policies that put people over profits.
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