Pennsylvania lawmakers want to bring down cost of prescription drugs

Cracking down on the price of prescription drugs is a hefty task, but state lawmakers are hoping to take a step in the right direction by closing an insurance loophole that's taking more money out of patients' pockets.

As the costs of prescription drugs continue to rise, more people are getting sicker. Democratic state Rep. Emily Kinkead, of District 20, said that's especially the case for those with chronic illnesses who may not be able to afford their meds.

"You have people who will skip doses. They will forego their medication entirely," Kinkead said. "A lot of folks with chronic illnesses, people with cystic fibrosis, cancer, diabetes, rely on the manufacturer rebates and assistance to help cover the cost of their medications."

The problem is because of insurers' "copay accumulator" policies, according to Kinkead, who added that insurance companies are not counting these payments from manufacturer assistance programs towards patients' overall deductibles. As a result, when that assistance money runs out, these people, who are already receiving help to pay their meds, need to basically pay their entire deductible again.

"It's effectively double dipping on the sickest patients," Kinkead said.

This week, she's planning to introduce a bill that would create the "Prescription Drug Copay Fairness Act" to eliminate these insurer policies.

"It basically requires them to acknowledge payments made by manufacturer assistance programs towards patient copays," Kinkead said.

It's legislation that's currently law in more than 25 states, and Kinkead has bipartisan support, including from local cosponsor Republican state Rep. Andrew Kuzma of Allegheny and Washington counties. She hopes this will get it moving out of committee right out the gate, providing some immediate relief to help people afford the care they need.

"It impacts all of our constituents. This is common sense, and a lot of states are already doing it, so Pennsylvania really just needs to catch up with the rest of the country," Kinkead said.