RICHMOND, Va. (CN) — Charlottesville resident Mara Shapiro takes medication that costs over $20,000 before insurance, to treat Crohn's and Addison's disease, that she says is keeping her alive.
"Prescription drug costs are not just numbers on a bill," Shapiro said Tuesday at a press conference. "They represent a choice between getting the medication you need to stay healthy and sacrificing other necessities like groceries, paying bills or paying rent."
A bipartisan coalition of Virginia lawmakers, aiming to help lower prices, announced plans during the conference to reintroduce a bill to develop a Prescription Drug Affordability Board. Should it pass this session, Virginia would join the likes of Colorado and Minnesota as the ninth state in the country to develop such a board.
The independent, nonpartisan board would comprise medical and health experts who will use data to evaluate prescription drug prices in order to lower costs.
"If we want to make Virginia the best place to live, work and raise a family, we have to bring down not only the cost of living but, more importantly, the cost of staying alive," said state Senator Creigh Deeds, a Democrat. "It's time for Virginia to take action to lower the cost of living."
A then-Republican-controlled House of Delegates shot down the bill in the 2023 session after it passed through the Senate. Democrats control both chambers of the General Assembly after November's election, but still face Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin.
Delegate Karrie Delany, a Democrat, told reporters she expected less opposition to the bill this time, as time has allowed Republican lawmakers to realize the near-universal support for the board.
Americans are feeling the effect of price rises on their wallets regardless of party affiliation. KFF found in a 2023 poll that one in four Americans taking prescription drugs report difficulty affording their medication, while three out of ten reported not taking prescribed medicine due to steep prices.
The poll also found that six out of ten adults say they are currently taking at least one prescription drug, and a quarter say they currently take four or more.
Prescription drugs have been the fastest-growing health spending category in the state since 2015, according to a study published in 2020 by Altarum.
Democratic Delegate Karrie Delany told reporters her daughter takes daily medication for Type 1 diabetes.
"My daughter Caitlin has Type 1 diabetes and will be dealing with daily medications for the rest of her life," Delany said. "And it's not just Virginians living with chronic illnesses, like my daughter, but the majority of Virginians have personally felt the negative effects of the rising costs."
Delegate Nadarius Clarke, another Democrat, said he feels higher prescription drug costs affect people of color at a disproportionate rate.
"Lowering prescription drugs cost is a racial and economic justice issue," Clark said. "Illnesses like diabetes disproportionately impact Black and Latino households, and the treatment for diabetes continues to skyrocket."
Virginians spend less on health per capita than the rest of the country, including spending $800 less on average for professional, physician and clinical services. Still, Virginians spend an extra $400 on prescription drugs, equating to 36% more than the national average, according to the Altarum study.
A report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2022 found that 1,216 everyday prescription drug products increased from July 2021 to July 2022 by 31.6%, far exceeding the 8.5% inflation rate during the same period. Some drug costs increased by more than $20,000.
Lobbyists representing pharmaceutical companies deflect the blame for the high prices on middlemen, who they claim have the final say on prices.
"Nothing is more important than putting the needs of Virginia patients first, but a prescription drug affordability board completely misses the mark," Stami Williams, a spokeswoman for the trade group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, said in an email. "This government price-setting scheme fails to address the many ways insurers and pharmacies benefit middlemen by gaming the system at the expense of patients. These companies control what medicines people can get and what they have to pay for them. It's no coincidence that when other states have tried this failed policy, it hasn't saved patients one cent at the pharmacy counter."
The legislators noted that the Inflation Reduction Act helps Virginia's 1 million people enrolled in Medicare pay lower prices but that the other 7.5 million residents continue to pay high costs.
"As the youngest member of the General Assembly, I want to make sure that we are taking action," Clark said. "That way, the younger generation can also afford the medicine that they need, including people with chronic conditions and rare diseases."
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