Bolinsky Hails Governor’s Signing of Prescription ‘Rx’ Law

HARTFORD- Newtown’s State Rep., Mitch Bolinsky (R-106), along with a bi-partisan group of legislators, Governor Lamont, and Lt. Governor Bysiewicz, celebrated a first-in-the-nation new law, that aims to lower consumers’ cost of prescription drugs (Rx) at a ceremony in an Arrow Pharmacy in Hartford on Wednesday.

Rep. Bolinsky, as the Ranking member of the Aging Committee, Bolinsky has advocated for this prescription drug policy for several years, partnering with fellow legislators and with the support of AARP and other patient advocacy groups. Among all healthcare cost components, critical medications, even those within the generic’s market, are the most rapidly rising costs in healthcare, making the need for relief profound not just for seniors, but for all.

“Today marks a major step forward in putting patients before profits. By signing this bill into law, Connecticut will now lead the way in easing the burden of patients having to endure more frequent denials of coverage from their insurers or having to choose between medications and other living necessities.  One of the keys to this cost control will be adding a new level of regulatory accountability on pharmacy benefit managers, bringing much-needed transparency to the prescription drug process sale and distribution process.  Families and individuals deserve to know where their healthcare dollars are going — and now they will,” said Rep. Bolinsky.

The law Public Act No. 25-167 makes changes to Pharmacy Benefits Managers (PBMs) & rebate practices of health carriers, and health carrier reporting. This will delink the fee for the Pharmacy Benefit Management, (PBM) a third-party administrator of prescription drug programs for various health plans from the cost of the drug and places it as a set fee.  This will reduce the incentive of the PBM from utilizing, or steering patients to higher-cost drugs.

The law, a result of the work of the General Assembly’s Bipartisan Prescription Drug Task Force, will also extend the task force’s work to include studying Emergency Mitigation Strategies to avert prescription drug shortages, and expands the state’s Strategic Supply Chain Initiative to prevent or mitigate prescription drug shortages.  Rep, Bolinsky concluded by saying, “This good policy will not only get a handle on the cost of many common prescription drugs but, by leveraging the task force’s collective expertise, it will do so with no additional fiscal impact to the state budget… Very exciting”!