June 5, 2025

Bolinsky Hails Passage of Bipartisan Rx Bill

This article was archived from the previous WordPress site. Formatting and media should be close, but may not match the original post perfectly.

HARTFORD- State Rep. Mitch Bolinsky (R-106) strongly supported final passage of a bill to lower the cost of prescription drugs (Rx).

The bill was worked on in the Aging Committee, Human Services and Public Health, with the heavy lifting having been pulled together by the General Assembly’s bipartisan drug task force.

Bolinsky is a listed co-introducer of this legislation, HB 7192 – An Act Implementing Recommendations of the Bipartisan Drug Task Force which would introduce a fiduciary requirement for any health carrier or health benefit plan sponsor which requires them “to prioritize the financial interests of plan sponsors.” The bill delinks 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 high-cost drugs.

The bill would also strengthen regulatory oversight in several areas and requires reimbursement to pharmacies at the wholesale cost. Prevents pharmacies from being reimbursed at prices lower than they were able to pay for the medications; In addition, the bill develops a mechanism to begin the state importation of Canadian medications.

“With more oversight of these PBMs and delinking their compensation from drug prices, we can see a fairer and hopefully lower cost system for residents, as we have seen prescription drug prices skyrocket in recent years,” said Rep. Bolinsky who has advocated for prescription drug relief as a member of the Aging Committee for many years. We can further provide tools to combat rising costs for our seniors by importing drugs from places like Canada.”

“These pharmacy benefit managers have prioritized profit over cost control by engaging in spread pricing, collecting excessive rebates, and steering patients toward affiliated pharmacies without improving adherence or reducing expenses. Connecticut seniors deserve better,” added Rep. Bolinsky.

As of 2023, PBMs managed pharmacy benefits for 275 million Americans.

AARP Connecticut is in full support of the legislation and has said that “Prescription drug prices in the United States are among the highest in the world, with prices three times what people in other countries pay for the same medications.”