Lawmakers in Minnesota are considering legislation that would create a so-called “prescription drug affordability board.” While the name might sound good, what it does is allow government bureaucrats to arbitrarily decide the value of the medicines Minnesotans need.

Under a prescription drug affordability board, the state would evaluate whether certain medicines and treatments are “worth” paying for, meaning the state’s bureaucracy could come between people and the treatments their doctors prescribe. This spells disaster for people by potentially creating barriers to getting life-saving medicines.

If Minnesota is serious about making medicines more affordable, then it needs to avoid policies that could limit patients' access to medicines while failing to stop insurance companies and their middlemen from gaming the system. These multibillion-dollar health insurance companies and the middlemen they work with – called pharmacy benefit managers – already make patients pay more for medicines than they do. This legislation has no guarantee that middlemen would treat patients any differently at the pharmacy counter. It should be no surprise they support a proposal that could repeat the same scheme for higher profits for them.

The government board also threatens the crucial R&D that’s necessary to continue fighting devastating diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, ALS and many others. A recently enacted federal law with similar policies is already having an impact on this important medical innovation. A recent survey of biopharmaceutical companies found that 82% or more of companies with pipeline projects in cardiovascular, mental health, neurology, infectious disease, cancers and rare diseases expect “substantial impacts” on R&D decisions in these areas.

Despite what proponents say, it’s clear that this proposal risks increased barriers to medicines, threatens future treatments and cures and could line the pockets of those who would benefit most – insurance companies and the pharmacy benefit managers they work with.

Tell your lawmakers to stop threatening access to medicine and failing Minnesotans who need real solutions.

Too many Americans struggle to afford the medicines and health care they need. And the problem has gotten worse in recent years as insurers increasingly use practices that shift costs to patients. But the drug pricing debate in Washington continues to ignore the broader pharmaceutical supply chain, including middlemen like insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).

Unfortunately, Congress just passed a law that doesn't stop abusive insurance and PBM practices that are the real drivers of health care costs. Take insulin, for example. Last year, manufacturers provided deep discounts to insurers and PBMs that lowered the cost of the most commonly used insulins by 84% on average. These middlemen – not patients – have been the primary beneficiaries of these deep discounts. Patients deserve better.

Congress could meaningfully address patient access and affordability concerns if they pursued legislation that:

• Included the kind of accountability and transparency of PBMs that patients and employers need.
• Addressed a broken insurance system that is shifting more of the costs of medicines onto vulnerable patients.
• Took steps to ensure patients share in the deep discounts that PBMs and health plans receive.

Giving the federal government unprecedented, sweeping authority to set prices for our medicines was not the solution.

Congress must work on real solutions to make sure patients can afford their medicines at the pharmacy counter. That starts with holding insurers and middlemen accountable.