Pharmacists have been prevented from telling consumers when the cash price for a drug is lower than the cost through their insurer. But critics say this will not affect the causes of high drug prices.
The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services would step in if a drug exceeded $10,000 or had cost increases greater than 3.4 percent. State regulators would index a price according to what other countries have negotiated for the drugs. Consumers would also see a cap on costs that they pay out-of-pocket.
Over the past year, some insurance companies have become increasingly aggressive in exploiting and creating loopholes that would effectively force thousands of chronic disease patients into Medicare prematurely