Dear neighbors,
This halfway point in the 2023 legislative session means that we are spending hour after hour on the floor of the Senate this week debating and voting on bills. Yesterday we spent more than 3 hours debating more than a dozen amendments to the Workplace Safety Act (SB 5217), which would allow our state Department of Labor and Industries to develop safety standards for repetitive motion injuries. It finally passed on a 27-21 vote and now goes to the House for consideration.
But my bill to cap the cost of insulin (SB 5729) was passed with many more votes — in fact, unanimously!
Read on for what we’ve been doing to restrain the price of insulin and other prescriptions, and for information on how a state program called ArrayRx can help you save money on prescription and over-the-counter medications.
Reining in prescription costs
It’s no secret that prescription drug prices are out of control. And when drug prices go up, people’s health goes down. When people can’t afford their prescriptions, they cut back, or skip doses, or cut pills in two, and that leads to more suffering and more death.
That’s why I’ve been focused for years on ramping up transparency and scrutiny, as well as taking direct steps to keep prices down.
In 2014, we passed an All Payer Claims Database to track prescription drug prices, and a few years later, we followed up with a strong transparency bill. Then in 2021, we established a Prescription Drug Affordability Board to help reign in the most egregious prices. It will begin conducting affordability reviews and setting upper payment limits on excessively priced drugs in 2027.
We also passed legislation to enable the state to partner with manufacturers or other states to produce our own generic drugs, or to simply purchase drugs from a state like California, which is standing up a production program.
In the meantime, we have also taken direct action. In 2020, I passed a bill to cap the price of insulin at $100 per month, and last year, we lowered that cap to $35 per month.
The cap was intended to be temporary while Congress passed legislation to control the cost of insulin at the federal level, but Congress failed to act.
This year’s bill, SB 5729, would remove the expiration date, so that out-of-pocket expenses for a 30-day supply of insulin would be capped at $35 permanently. That bill passed the Senate unanimously this week.
Insulin is a lifesaving medication that we’ve been using for more than 100 years, it’s very cheap to produce, and there’s no reason that anyone who needs it should be struggling to afford it. The price has skyrocketed, and we have a responsibility to keep these vital prescriptions affordable.
Highlight of the week: Help paying for medications with ArrayRx
Each week this session, I’ll highlight a resource that may be of use to you, your family, or your neighbors. I hope you’ll pass the information along to anyone who may be able to take advantage of it. This week, I want to let you know about the ArrayRx Discount Card.
This card is part of a Washington State Health Care Authority program to help people pay for prescription and over-the-counter medicine.
- If you do not have prescription drug insurance coverage, or have limited coverage, the ArrayRx Discount Card program can help get you a discounted price on prescriptions — up to 80% off.
- Even if you do have prescription drug insurance coverage, you can still use the card to get discounts on over-the-counter medications that don’t require a prescription.
- And if you have a high-deductible insurance plan, you can use the discount card when you know you will not meet your deductible.
Previous highlights of the week: Dementia Road Map for Caregivers, Paid Family and Medical Leave, Healthy Starts Act pregnancy accommodations, Working Families Tax Credit, Washington State Quitline, my resource guide, WorkSource WA.
Stay in Touch
Thank you to all the constituents and advocates who came to Olympia this week to make your voices heard. If you’d like to follow what I’m working on, you can like my official legislative Facebook page here.
Please don’t hesitate to stay in touch. Stay safe and take care.
Always,
Sen. Karen Keiser
Senate President Pro Tempore
Chair, Senate Labor & Commerce Committee
