People for Affordable Prescription Drugs: Lawmakers pass bill to reduce drug prices

Contact: John Reinemann. WI Counties Assn (cell: 445-3039)

Tom Frazier, Coalition of WI Aging Groups (cell: 770-0605)

Lisa B. Nelson. (1-479-381-6485)

A coalition of seniors, labor groups, county governments and retailers today praised the Wisconsin Assembly’s health committee for approving legislation that would lower drug prices by exempting them from the state’s 70-year-old “minimum markup law.”

Members of People for Affordable Prescription Drugs said the committee’s overwhelming 10-2 vote to pass the measure shows there is strong support from both parties in favor of exempting drugs from the law, which would allow large retailers such as Target, K-Mart and Walmart to offer their national $4 generic drug programs to Wisconsin consumers.

“At a time when Congress is considering health reforms that cost hundreds of billions of dollars, the committee just approved a bill that would save consumers tens of millions of dollars at no cost to taxpayers,” said coalition spokesman Tom Frazier, who is the executive director of the Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups.

“This is extremely important for seniors who, under the federal Medicare Part D program, can still end up paying thousands of dollars on drugs out of their own pocket,’’ he said. “Drugs are one of Wisconsin’s fastest growing medical costs. Taking this simple action to substantially lower drug costs makes good economic sense and good health care sense.’’

Wisconsin county government employees would save nearly $1 million all by themselves,” said Mark O’Connell, executive director of the Wisconsin Counties Association. “This is a free market solution in which everybody wins.”

Walmart alone has a program to sell 350 generic drugs for $4. “Our customers alone would save $25 million a year. We want to be part of the solution in helping lower health care costs,’’ said Lisa B. Nelson, public affairs director for Walmart in Wisconsin.

(People for Affordable Prescription Drugs is a coalition that includes the Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups, the National Association of Counties, Wisconsin Association of Retired Educators, the Wisconsin Nurses Association, Plumbers Local 75, the Wisconsin Alliance for Retired Americans, Walmart, the Wisconsin Pipe Trades Association and the Steamfitters Local 601, the Milwaukee Commission on Aging, The Fox Valley Areal Labor Council Retirees Club.)