Missourians feel the pinch. While inflation has cooled under President Trump, we won’t feel the relief overnight. For now, we have to deal with high prices. Gas, groceries, and mortgage payments stretch my wallet thinner every month.
The skyrocketing price of prescription drugs shines as one of the most devastating burdens Missouri families face. As a husband, father and active member of our community, I can’t sit idly by while I see patients struggling to stay healthy due to financial constraints. Unfortunately, unnecessary laws may make the situation worse.
Senate Bills 45 and 372, and House Bills 474 and 840, currently under consideration in Jefferson City, are Big Government health care mandates that will increase the cost of providing health care benefits for employers, and increase the cost of prescriptions for patients. They do this by overregulating how employers work with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). Employers hire PBMs to negotiate against Big Pharma for lower Rx costs. That’s why these multibillion-dollar Big Pharma companies are currently lobbying for these bills at the Missouri General Assembly. If passed, Missourians’ wallets and health will suffer.
Here’s what’s really at stake. Right now, PBMs negotiate lower drug prices for more than 275 million Americans, including millions of Missourians. PBMs leverage their bargaining power to push back against Big Pharma’s price hikes, saving the average patient over $1,000 a year. They help health plans keep costs under control by negotiating on behalf of large groups of buyers. They’re the only ones with enough leverage to bargain with Big Pharma to lower prices.
That’s why pharmaceutical companies hate PBMs. They want free rein to set their own prices, without negotiation or competition, and without anyone standing in their way. Unfortunately, some Missouri lawmakers seem happy to help them.
The bills represent the dream-come-true scenario for drugmakers. They would strip employers of the ability to offer lower-cost pharmacy options, forcing Missourians into more expensive choices. They would make it more expensive for employers to offer convenient home delivery options for prescriptions through their benefit coverage, a service that saves older Missourians money while ensuring they take their medications regularly. Worst of all, they would block employers from using specialty pharmacy networks with high quality and safety standards – putting patients at risk.
Every day Missourians are suffering under financial pressures, potentially making their health conditions worse. Who wins with these bills? Not patients. Not employers trying to keep healthcare coverage affordable for their workers. It’s unacceptable.
The real villain is Big Pharma and its relentless price-gouging. Drug manufacturers, not PBMs, set the high prices of medications. PBMs simply work to negotiate those prices down.
And let’s be clear: this is not a Republican or Democratic issue. Missourians across the political spectrum agree that drug prices are out of control. But instead of lowering prices, these bills would hand over more power to the industry responsible for the crisis in the first place.
Missourians deserve better. We deserve lawmakers who will stand up to Big Pharma, not cave to their demands. If Missouri legislators truly care about their constituents, they will reject Senate Bill 45 and others. They will put patients before pharmaceutical profits. They will listen to the voices of the millions of Missourians who rely on affordable medications to stay healthy, and the healthcare professionals like me who serve them. Thank you.
