(Missourinet) – Legislation designed to lower the cost of prescription drugs in Missouri is moving through the Missouri House. The bill would invoke cost-sharing measures by providing vouchers to help pay for a patient’s prescription drugs. It’s sponsored by Republican State Rep Dale Wright of eastern Missouri’s Farmington:
“It goes towards their deductibles or their co-pays, to be able to use it as if it was cash or a check or a credit card. Some insurance companies disallow that to be used towards a deductible or copay. And my bill states that you must accept that.”
The bill overwhelmingly passed a House committee last week and is awaiting another committee vote before moving to the full House. The pharmaceutical industry opposes the bill — saying that co-pay vouchers don’t really help low-income patients because it would incentivize higher-priced drugs for a short period of time — and then transfer increased costs to all insurance plans and their members.
