This is a blog for the Mental Health Policy Class at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work.

August 2, 2007

Bill Would Let States Force Drug Discounts

U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen is preparing legislation that would allow states to make prescription drugs more affordable for low- and moderate-income Americans, a challenge to Bush administration policies that have thwarted such efforts in Maryland and elsewhere.
Van Hollen (D-Md.) said he will introduce a bill early this week allowing states to use their purchasing power to require drug companies to provide discounts on medications for low-wage workers. Under the proposal, states could negotiate the same breaks they get for people on Medicaid, the state-federal health-care program for the poor.

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