The state Senate passed three bills sponsored by Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Des Moines, that would rein in sharply rising prescription drug prices.
“Prescription drug costs are out of control,” Keiser said in a Washington State Senate Democrats news release. “Our constituents can’t wait. The taxpayers can’t wait. We have to do something about this increase in costs.”
The three bills that the Senate passed on Tuesday take on insulin costs as well as costs for the most expensive prescriptions and those that are increasing in price the fastest.
• SB 6087 would cap out-of-pocket cost to patients for insulin at $100 per month. It passed on a vote of 34-14.
• SB 6113 would create a centralized purchasing process for insulin based on the approach used by the state to purchase childhood vaccines. It passed on a vote of 28-20.
• SB 6088 would establish a prescription drug affordability board that would review prices and price increases to determine whether maximum price caps are needed. It passed on a vote of 28-20.
“We have a responsibility to keep prescriptions that are vital for people’s health affordable,” Keiser said. “I’ve been working for months with a broad range of stakeholders to put together legislation that will tackle this problem from multiple angles.”
All three bills now go to the House for consideration.
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