Sponsors of a bipartisan bill in the Ohio Legislature say they have a plan to lower the price of prescription drugs. But as Statehouse correspondent Jo Ingles reports, it doesn’t do it the same way as the issue Ohio voters rejected in November. Instead, its aimed at the middlemen in the insurance process, pharmacy benefit managers.
Republican Rep. Scott Lipps says his bill doesn’t control drug prices, but it would stop pharmacy benefit managers from clawing back money from c0pays. And it would allow pharmacists to offer customers the cash price if it is lower than the copay.
“Many pharmacists are contractually bound. They’re banned. They cannot explain to the customer that price has been inflated and a better price could have been offered to them.”
In a written statement, Express Scripts, one of the nation’s largest pharmacy benefit managers, said it does not engage in copay clawbacks nor impose “gag orders” on pharmacies. And the company says it will work with sponsors of the legislation.
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