Lawmakers trying to make cost of prescription drugs lower during legislative session

HARTFORD, CT (WFSB) - Healthcare costs are a major concern for many in Connecticut.

A big part of that is the price for prescription drugs. Lawmakers say a priority is making these drugs more affordable.

Talks have been ongoing for a long time, and they want to hold insurance companies more accountable.

“I was informed that none of the choices were going to include those two drugs,” said Gail Tine, a Rocky Hill resident.

She needs eye drop medications for Glaucoma.

“Without insurance one of them is 700 every 3 months – 28 hundred a year,” she continued.

Healthcare costs have skyrocketed in the United States, meaning that people everywhere are struggling to pay for prescription drugs.

“These are issues we know all of our constituents worry about and in many cases feel victimized about,” said Senate President Martin Looney.

Lawmakers are now rolling out their proposals this year to protect patients and make prescription drugs more affordable.

In 2021, the average American spent $1,432 a year on prescription medication, while drugs in Canada sell for a lot less.

Only one state, Florida, has been given the green light to lower the costs.

“Ron desantis in florida asked Joe Biden for permission to do it and the president gave permission so Florida is now the first state authorized to import drugs from canada. The drug industry doesn’t want it so they’ve put pressure on the Canadians not to sell to us,” said Senator Matt Lesser, who also chairs the insurance committee.

The state has been working at benchmarking, which means collecting data from other states to see what certain procedures cost.

“We then can take a benchmark of all the data to see what the high range of that cost is. Maybe it’s far too excessive maybe it’s far too low,” said Senator Tony Hwang, also on the insurance committee.

Tine’s situation with her eyedrops has been resolved temporarily.

She appealed the insurance decision and her two drops will be covered this year. After that, she’s not sure.

Lawmakers are also looking to increase Medicaid reimbursement.