Claxton Speaks Out in Support of Prescription Drug Reform Package

AUGUSTA, Maine, April 17 -- The Maine Senate Democrats issued the following news on behalf of Maine State Sen. Ned Claxton, D-Auburn:

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- Claxton: "Good hard-working people should not have to choose between paying for their medicine, rent, food, heat or childcare."

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Sen. Ned Claxton, D-Auburn, testified before the Legislature's Committee on Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services in support of legislation to lower the cost of prescription drugs in Maine. Tuesday was the first day of public hearings on the Senate Democrats' prescription drug reform package.

The proposal includes a suite of five drug reform bills - sponsored by Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, Sen. Heather Sanborn, D-Portland, and Assistant Senate Majority Leader Eloise Vitelli, D-Arrowsic - focused on affordability, accessibility, accountability and transparency.

"As a physician, I wanted to prescribe the least expensive medicine that would help my patient. The Pharmacy Benefits Managers get in the way of my being able to do that," said Sen. Claxton. "The generic asthma rescue medicine is albuterol. Often Pharmacy Benefits Managers required me to prescribe Proventil or ProAir at twice the cost of the generic."

Two bills from President Jackson propose importing safe and affordable prescription drugs from Canada, which are often 30 percent cheaper than the same drug in the U.S. LD 1272, "An Act To Increase Access to Low-cost Prescription Drugs," would set up a wholesale state importation program, similar to legislation that passed in Vermont last year. LD 1387, "An Act To Increase Access to Safe and Affordable Prescription Drugs," would create an individual importation program.

President Jackson also has a bill to create a Prescription Drug Affordability Board modeled after legislation that passed through the State Legislature in Maryland earlier this month.

The package also includes legislation to regulate pharmacy benefit managers, also known as the "middlemen" between the drug manufacturing companies and pharmacies. LD 1504, "An Act To Protect Consumers from Unfair Practices Related to Pharmacy Benefits Management," sponsored by Sen. Heather Sanborn would require PBMs to operate in the best interest of providers and pass on all manufacturer rebates to reduce the cost of drugs. It would also prohibit the practice called "spread-pricing" in which PBMs pay pharmacies less for a drug than the cost they charge insurance companies.

The final bill - LD 1162, "An Act To Further Expand Drug Price Transparency" - from Sen. Vitelli would require more transparency for the entirety of the prescription drug marketplace and require disclosure of information impacting drug pricing from manufacturers, pharmacy benefit managers, wholesalers and insurance companies.

"The cost of prescriptions is one of the top concerns I hear from constituents," said Sen. Claxton. "Meanwhile, pharmaceutical companies and intermediaries involved in the prescription drug marketplace are raking in profits."

In the U.S., one in four Americans struggles to pay for their prescription medication while one in ten Americans does not take their medicine as prescribed to stay afloat. According to the National Academy for State Health Policy, about 200 bills have been filed in 42 state legislatures to address the cost of prescription drugs. Eighty-eight bills have to do with pharmacy benefit managers, 25 are related to wholesale importation and 13 are related to drug affordability review or rate setting.

The remaining prescription drug bills will receive a public hearing at 1 p.m. tomorrow, April 17 in the Legislature's Committee on Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services. Members of the public are encouraged to attend the public hearings and submit testimony. Anyone unable to attend can submit written testimony to the committee via email at [email protected].