skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Medical copays reduce health care access in MS prisons; Israel planted explosives in pagers sold to Hezbollah according to official sources; Serving looks with books: Libraries fight 'fast fashion' by lending clothes; Menhaden decline threatens Virginia's ecosystem, fisheries.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

JD Vance calls for toning down political rhetoric, while calls for his resignation grow because of his own comments. The Secret Service again faces intense criticism, and a right to IVF is again voted down in the US Senate.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Law Aiming to Lower Drug Prices Headed to Governor Polis' Desk

play audio
Play

Thursday, May 4, 2023   

A law passed two years ago aiming to reign in skyrocketing prescription drug prices is set to get a booster shot with the passage of House Bill 1225 by the Colorado Legislature.

Hope Stonner, policy coordinator for the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, said high drug prices have put lifesaving medicines out of reach for many Coloradans, including seniors living on fixed incomes and low-income workers.

"We know that approximately one in three Coloradans have reported struggling to pay for their prescription drug costs," Stonner reported. "That means making the impossible decision between paying rent, putting food on the table, or taking these drugs that oftentimes are really necessary for folks."

The bill gives new authority to the Prescription Drug Affordability Board, created in 2021, which can set upper cost limits on some of the most expensive medicines. The Colorado Bioscience Association opposed the measure, arguing it would make it harder for drug companies to raise money for research, development and other costs associated with bringing new prescription drugs to market.

Americans currently pay twice as much for medicines than people in other developed nations, and Stonner pointed out most of the money is not reinvested in research and development.

"We know that drug manufacturing companies spend billions each year on marketing and advertising," Stonner asserted. "We see the Prescription Drug Affordability Board as one really important mechanism in beginning to even the scales."

The bill will allow the board to adjust the cap on the number of drugs with upper payment limits set in the first three years. The measure will also extend the board's sunset date from 2026 into 2031.

Stonner added the board has been busy the past two years setting up the rule-making process, so the new law will allow them to finally start making drugs more affordable.

"We see it as really important that the board's work is continued to make sure that, once they start getting into the process of setting those upper payment limits, they have more time to do that," Stonner stressed. "Hopefully, more consumers will see the benefits of those upper payment limits."

Disclosure: The Colorado Consumer Health Initiative contributes to our fund for reporting on Consumer Issues, Health Issues, and Human Rights/Racial Justice. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Including the $236 million in federal funding for wildland fire management recently announced for 2025, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has invested a total of $1 billion to the cause, according to the Department of the Interior. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

This month, the federal government announced funding for next year's wildfire management, totaling $236 million and experts hope threatened …


Social Issues

play sound

From gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson to Superintendent of Public Instruction hopeful Michele Morrow, some Republicans running for office have …

Social Issues

play sound

California is home to more than 181,000 people who are unhoused, with 75,000 in Los Angeles alone, so the Los Angeles Food Policy Council will host a …


The California Department of Conservation is holding a public meeting online on Sept. 24, to update the public on its progress in plugging abandoned oil wells. (Alizada Studios/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Groups concerned about pollution and climate change are asking Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign a trio of bills dubbed the "make polluters pay" package…

Social Issues

play sound

This week, National Voter Registration Day was another timely reminder for Ohioans preparing for the 2024 general election. The latest reports from …

Menhaden are forage fish species and filter feeders, each capable of filtering up to seven gallons of water per minute. (Photo of female Osprey with Menhaden/TRCP)

Environment

play sound

In Virginia's waters, the decline of a small but critically important fish is causing growing concern among conservation groups and fishermen alike…

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado voters will decide whether to change the state's constitution to ensure families have school choice as a fundamental right. Kallie Leyba…

Environment

play sound

By Claire Elise Thompson for Grist.Broadcast version by Kathryn Carley for New Hampshire News Connection reporting for the Grist-Public News Service C…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021