CCAGW Urges Illinois Legislators to Oppose House Bill 4548 | Council For Citizens Against Government Waste

CCAGW Urges Illinois Legislators to Oppose House Bill 4548

State Action

March 19, 2024

Health Care Availability & Accessibility Committee
Room 122B, Capitol Building
401 South 2nd Street
Springfield, Illinois 62701

Dear Representative,

On behalf of 60,044 members and supporters of the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste in Illinois, I urge you to oppose HB4548.  This legislation would create unnecessary regulatory barriers that will undermine the effectiveness of pharmaceutical benefit managers (PBMs) in Illinois and increase prescription drug costs for patients.

PBMs save money for patients by negotiating lower prices on behalf of large groups.  More than 275 million Americans who obtain health coverage from their employers, unions, state government plans, and other sponsors rely on PBMs to administer their prescription drug plans.  PBMs use various tools like rebates, pharmacy networks, drug utilization review, formularies, specialty pharmacies, mail-order, and audits to drive down drug costs, improve quality, increase patient medication adherence, and prevent fraud. 

HB4548 will add a new $10.49 dispensing fee to prescriptions filled in Illinois.  This fee will increase operating costs that will be passed onto consumers.  Provisions in the bill will also increase health care costs for unions and employers by outlawing certain lower cost pharmacy options in their coverage plans.

The bill would also impact PBMs’ ability to manage specialty pharmacies.  PBMs provide savings for patients by allowing a specialty pharmacy to ship a drug for a given patient offering home delivery of prescriptions at a lower cost.  Banning this cost-saving practice takes choices away from patients and limit benefits resulting in increased costs.

For the above reasons, I urge you to oppose HB4548, which would insert the government further into the healthcare system and result in higher costs and fewer choices for patients in Illinois.

Sincerely,
Tom Schatz
President, CCAGW