LANSING — Democrats in the Michigan State Senate introduced a series of bills designed to address the rising cost of prescription drugs while also holding big pharmaceutical accountable. The three bill package would create a Prescription Drug Affordability Review Board or PDAB that would review drug costs across the state and set upper price limits for high-priced drugs.
“As I talk to my constituents Downriver and to Michiganders across our state, one thing is clear: prescription drug prices are too high,” said State Senator Darrin Camilleri, one of the bill sponsors. “For too many Michiganders, especially those of fixed incomes, the increasing cost of prescription drugs means less opportunities for their families, or that they don’t take their full dose, or even that they have to choose between affording food and medicine. This is a crisis that has only been getting worse for years.”
Advocates across the state spoke in favor of the bill package highlighting stories of people who struggle to afford prescription drugs. “I have seen firsthand how high drug costs hurt patients in our state,” said Dr. Rob Davidson, the executive director of Committee to Protect, a healthcare advocacy group. “Physicians across Michigan know how devastating it is for our patients health when they simply cannot afford the medicines we prescribe.This can be very detrimental, endangering people’s health, livelihood and families.”
The bills will next head to a committee hearing where sponsors and advocates hope the bill package will move to the full Senate for vote.
