Sen. Jeff Gordon Holds Press Conference on Prescription Drug Affordability, Testifies in Support of Bipartisan Task Force Recommendations

HARTFORD, CT — Today, Sen. Jeff Gordon (R-Woodstock), co-chair of the Legislature’s Bipartisan Task Force on the Cost of Prescription Drugs, and a practicing physician, held a press conference with co-chairs Sen. Lesser, Rep. Gilchrest, and Rep. Marra, to announce the task force’s findings aimed at reducing prescription drug costs and increasing medication supplies in the state. Following the press conference, Sen. Gordon testified before the Human Services Committee in support of H.B. 7192, legislation that incorporates the recommendations from the task force’s comprehensive report.

The task force’s report specifically recommended:

• Reforming Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) practices by requiring fiduciary responsibility, delinking profits from raising drug prices, and prohibiting spread pricing practices that inflate costs.
• Increasing transparency in drug pricing by ensuring that insurers and PBMs disclose pricing structures and cost-sharing models to consumers.
• Protecting local pharmacies from anti-competitive affiliation networks.
• Exploring drug importation from Canada to lower the cost of certain high-cost medications.
• Improving in-state drug manufacturing and supply chain distribution stability to lessen drug shortages and ensure consistent access to essential medications.
• Reducing barriers to patient access by further reforming prior authorization and step therapy requirements, which often delay necessary treatments.

In his testimony, Sen. Gordon underscored the importance of taking legislative action to ensure that the hard-working people of Connecticut, their families, and seniors can afford their medications with lessened financial hardship.

“The rising cost of prescription drugs has placed an enormous burden on people throughout Connecticut, especially those with chronic health conditions on multiple medications,” said Sen. Gordon. “I see this every day as a do tor. Our task force provided clear, bipartisan solutions to lower costs, increase transparency, and hold middlemen like PBMs accountable. I am proud to support H.B. 7192, which captures the essence of our findings and aims to deliver meaningful help to Connecticut residents.”

The Human Services Committee heard public testimony on H.B. 7192 earlier today. Sen. Gordon expressed optimism that the bill will advance through the committee process and ultimately become law.

“This is about putting people over profits, said Sen. Gordon. “The task force has done a tremendous job identifying where the system is failing people, and now it’s time for us to act. I am grateful for the bipartisan collaboration with my fellow co-chairs who made this task force successful. I am hopeful that our recommendations will translate into meaningful action,” Sen. Gordon added.