(Washington, D.C.) — Today, the House of Representatives released the text of a government funding bill which includes unrelated provisions promoted by the pharmaceutical industry that would reduce choice and drive up costs for pharmacy benefits in Medicare and the private sector. One change to the commercial market, introduced by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), would force all employers to adopt a single system for providing drug benefits and limit the tools used to negotiate lower prices.

In response, Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) President and CEO David Marin released the following statement:

“The Cassidy provision is a blow to families and seniors who already pay too much for their prescription drugs, and it undermines the work President Trump is doing to hold drug companies accountable. This reckless intervention means employers providing pharmacy benefits would be forced into adopting a single, one-size-fits all system, limiting negotiating power and making prescription drugs more expensive. It tells employers and their workers that they must accept higher prices.

“There is a reason the pharmaceutical industry has devoted so much time and money into pushing these policies through Congress: it makes it easier for them to charge more for prescription drugs. At a moment when American families are facing an affordability challenge, it makes no sense to reverse the progress the administration has made to lower drug costs. Members of Congress who care about affordability should reject Sen. Cassidy’s attempt to allow the government to decide patients’ drug coverage and focus on the ways that pharmaceutical companies are gaming the system to charge more for drugs.”