(SPRINGFIELD, IL) — The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) released the following statement today following the signing of House Bill 1697 by Governor Pritzker:

“We are disappointed with the misguided legislation that Governor Pritzker has signed that will hurt the ability of employers in Illinois to provide affordable health benefits to employees and their families. This legislation imposes a new tax on patients and health plan sponsors and will increase health care costs for everyone. It further removes choices for employers providing health benefits by dictating how they can contract with their pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) and restricts tools that lower prescription drug costs.

“Unfortunately, the legislation does nothing to address the fact that Big Pharma sets the price of the prescription drugs — and the price is the problem when it comes to some Illinoisans facing difficulty affording their prescription drugs. Lawmakers have passed 20 bills regulating and restricting PBMs since 2016, none of which have led to lower drug prices. To truly lower drug costs, we encourage legislators to focus on the entire prescription drug supply chain, namely Big Pharma who alone set and raise the price of their drugs.”

###

PCMA is the national association representing America’s pharmacy benefit companies. Pharmacy benefit companies are working every day to secure savings, enable better health outcomes, and support access to quality prescription drug coverage for more than 289 million patients.