SPRINGFIELD, Ill., May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AARP
Illinois issued the following statement Wednesday calling for an
up-or-down vote soon in the Illinois Senate on HB 4900, which could push
Illinois to the forefront of
national efforts to rein in surprise price gouging that can lead to
massive increases in the cost of specific prescription drugs.
"On April 19, the Illinois House of Representatives gave
bipartisan approval, 65-38, to landmark legislation that would put
the interests of financially stressed families ahead of
pharmaceutical companies and lobbyists," said Ryan Gruenenfelder, AARP Illinois' Director of
Advocacy and Outreach.
"While generic drug prices can provide good value overall,
that's no help to you if the particular drug you need suddenly
costs 500 percent more. There's no room in many older
Illinoisans' budgets for this kind of price gouging. And yet
they must have these prescription medicines to avoid sometimes
catastrophic health consequences."
"Illinois has the opportunity
to become a national leader on an issue that is important to older
Illinois voters. We're asking
Senate President John Cullerton to
allow this legislation to come to the Senate floor for an
up-and-down vote. AARP's 1.6 million members are watching closely,
and they'll remember where our elected officials stand."
AARP Illinois has 1.6 million
members statewide. AARP has reached out to nearly 300,000
Illinois "E-activists" urging them to contact legislators urging
passage of HB 4900.
Gruenenfelder shared a personal story of how his life was saved
when, as a child, he suffered an allergic reaction that hospital
emergency-room staff were able to counteract. Afterward, his
parents kept Epi-Pens close at hand to treat a recurrence of this
dangerous allergic reaction.
Between 2010 and 2015, according to a Government Accounting
Office (GAO) study, the price of Epi-Pens jumped 508 percent. The
price for Albuterol sulfate, which treats asthma, jumped more than
4,000 percent and the lifesaving Naloxone Auto-Injector, used to
treat opioid overdoses, rose 508 percent in the GAO
study.
Generic drugs play a vital role in maintaining the health of
older Americans. Some 88 percent of medications prescribed
are now generics.
The proposed legislation prohibits price gouging in the sale of
a generic drug and sets thresholds for generic drug price increases
– 30 percent for the first year, 50 percent for the second year and
75 percent over three years.
Under the bill, drug companies seeking to raise prices above the
threshold would have to justify the increases to the state Attorney
General, if the Attorney General has reason to believe that a
manufacturer or wholesale drug distributor of an essential
off-patent or generic drug has violated the act.
State health officials would monitor the costs of generic
prescription drugs covered under the state employees' health plan,
Medicaid or the state Medical Assistance Program. If the
state health officials see spikes in prices above the law's
threshold, they may notify the attorney general of any increase in
the price of a generic drug that amounts to price gouging.
Drug companies would have 45 days to show the Attorney General that
the price increases are justified.
AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan
organization dedicated to empowering Americans 50 and older to
choose how they live as they age. With nearly 38 million members
and offices in every state, the District
of Columbia, Puerto Rico,
and the U.S. Virgin Islands, AARP
works to strengthen communities and advocate for what matters most
to families with a focus on health security, financial stability
and personal fulfillment. AARP also works for individuals in the
marketplace by sparking new solutions and allowing carefully
chosen, high-quality products and services to carry the AARP
name. As a trusted source for news and information, AARP
produces the nation's largest circulation publications, AARP The
Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit
www.aarp.org or follow @AARP and @AARPadvocates on social
media.
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SOURCE AARP Illinois