Posted by Michael Wonder on 24 Jan 2019
Governor Baker has plan to rein in soaring drug costs in state Medicaid program
24 January 2019 - The Baker administration on Wednesday unveiled a new plan to tackle the soaring cost of prescription drugs in the state Medicaid program by negotiating prices directly with drug makers and subjecting expensive drugs to state oversight.
Pharmaceutical companies immediately objected to the proposal, while consumer advocates and insurers welcomed it.
Governor Charlie Baker, as part of his annual budget plan released Wednesday, is seeking authority to negotiate lower drug prices for the state Medicaid program, or MassHealth. Without a change in state law, administration officials said, they cannot require pharmaceutical companies to come to the negotiating table.
