Advocates Push Regulation on Drug Prices, Medication Access

Frederica Freyberg:
At the state Capitol this week, advocates urge the legislature to take up and pass Cole’s Act, a bill that attempts to clamp down on industry practices that they say hurt patients by increasing drug prices and decreasing access to medications.

Rob Gundermann:
We need the legislature to get this done this session. Patients can’t wait any longer. These copay accumulator policies are preventing patients from getting access to needed medications, and that has to stop. Insurance plans are rapidly adopting these policies, and they are becoming increasingly common. As a result, more and more patients are reaching out to us with stories about going to the pharmacy counter to pick up their medications and being told they will have to pay thousands of dollars out of their own pockets in order to receive their medications.