Michigan drug affordability bill stalls ahead of election

Democrats, who hold a majority in the Michigan state legislature, could pass legislation aimed at reducing drug costs in the period following the November general election.

The timing is significant because the party has control of the House, Senate and governorship for the first time in decades, but control of the House is up for grabs in the election.

An invoice package for creating a Panel on Prescription Drug Affordability has been stuck in a House committee since last fall after passing the state Senate.

Sen. Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton) supports the package. He said he believes improving drug availability is a priority for his party regardless of the election outcome.

“You know that we have little time left until the end of the year. I am convinced that we will try to do as much as possible to achieve everything we set out to do with this majority,” said Camilleri.

While Camilleri’s package did not bring any movement on the issue, the House of Representatives has introduced a bill that would introduce new Reports from pharmaceutical manufacturers if the price of certain drugs rises high enough. This bill was passed by the House of Representatives at the end of June, just before the representatives went into their summer recess.

It is unclear if and when this bill might be heard before the Senate Health Committee.

But Camilleri, who is not a member of that committee, said he is open to solutions other than his package as he works with House leadership on how best to move forward.

“I know there is interest in other legislation as well, and so there could be discussions about putting together a comprehensive prescription drug affordability legislative package that could include other measures in addition to the Prescription Drug Affordability Panel,” Camilleri said.

This comes as Democrats in the state of Michigan have spent the past few weeks celebrating the anniversary of the passage of the federal Inflation Reduction Act.

This law enabled Medicare to start negotiate the price for 10 specific medications.

He said any proposed solution for Michigan should adopt that principle, but on a broader scale at the state level.