At yesterday’s meeting, the state Healthcare Cabinet tweaked
and finalized eight policy recommendations
to lower prescription drug costs in Connecticut. Drugs
are the largest driver of skyrocketing health costs. However, the Council
acknowledged that, even if these recommendations are all adopted and
implemented, a lot of work remains. The recommendations came from months of
research and deliberation by four workgroups and the full Cabinet. Legislative
recommendations include creating a Drug Review Board, with strong conflict of
interest standards for membership, to investigate drug pricing and refer
potentially unjustified cases to the Attorney General’s Office for action.
Responding to
reports of potential conflicts of interest in widespread industry backing
of patient advocacy groups, the Cabinet is also recommending that drug
companies, pharmacy benefits management companies (PBMs), and insurers publicly
disclose funding to nonprofit advocacy groups. The Cabinet also recommends that
PBMs cooperate with audits, and require that rebates and other reductions in
drug prices be shared with consumers. Administrative recommendations include supporting
meaningful discussions between consumers and providers about drug costs,
priority setting, and adherence, including adding questions to consumer surveys
and linking performance on those measures to funding. Other administrative
recommendations include soliciting more information from insurers on the
contribution of drug costs to premiums, and using comparative effectiveness
research and value assessments to inform providers’ prescribing decisions. Recommendations that aren’t ready for
endorsement yet include public posting of provider compensation by drug
companies, limiting coupons that may reduce costs for some consumers but raise
them for the overall system, expanding access to the state employee pharmacy
system to other payers, monitoring consumer and provider education efforts to
ensure quality and balance with non-medication options, reimportation of drugs
from Canada, and creating a public utility model for drug price oversight.
