Ballot Measure Would Let California Negotiate Drug Prices

•November 2, 2016•

By Trudy Lieberman
Rural Health News Service

The fight in California over a ballot initiative that would begin to control the price of pharmaceuticals paid by state programs shows how difficult it is to “do something” about the high price of prescription drugs.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. drug spending rose 7 percent this year - the biggest increase in 24 years – and most Americans now think drug prices are unreasonable. So it’s not surprising the pharmaceutical industry is running scared and, with its deep pockets, is spending big to convince millions of Californians to vote “No” on Prop 61, a Nov. 8 ballot measure that would “do something.”

It’s a simple measure, says Roger Salazar, the spokesperson for the group “Yes On Prop 61.” It would require the state to pay no more for prescription drugs than the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs spends for the same medications. The VA negotiates prices with pharmaceutical companies, and federal law requires that the department get a discount of at least 24 percent off the drugs it buys.      Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.