State Representative Ryan Spain raised concerns on May 21 about a prescription price control bill that recently passed in the Illinois House Executive Committee and on the House Floor. Spain said there are bureaucratic and operational issues with the legislation, particularly regarding oversight, since no state agency would be responsible for supervising the proposed board.
“If this bill passes … we’re going to inherit this mess that you’ve created with this legislation and have to deal with it because … if you want to characterize this board as sort of a minor operating body then it needs to be aligned with a parent organization in state government that can help it,” Spain said in committee.
Spain serves as the Republican Spokesperson of the House Executive Committee and is Co-Chairman of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules. He is recognized as one of the legislature’s leading experts on administrative rules used to implement laws through executive agencies.
The proposed legislation would create a five-member board appointed by the governor. This board would have authority to review most prescription drug costs, determine if prices are unreasonably high, and set upper payment limits for consumers. Pharmaceutical companies could present justifications for their pricing before any caps are imposed. The board’s responsibilities would also include improving access to medication, especially in rural and low-income areas.
A key part of the bill ties Illinois drug prices to rates negotiated by Medicare under the Inflation Reduction Act passed in 2022. Starting this year, Medicare has negotiated lower prices for ten expensive drugs; for example, Januvia dropped from $527 to $113 per month and Enbrel from $7,106 to $2,355 per month according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
If enacted, these Medicare-negotiated rates would become automatic upper payment limits across all healthcare plans in Illinois. Medicaid and certain state employee health programs would need separate approval due to technical requirements. The new board could not further reduce prices already set by Medicare but could ensure those drugs reach patients who need them.
A spokesperson for Governor JB Pritzker did not confirm whether he supports creating such a prescription drug board but said his office is reviewing the proposal.
Spain was elected as a Republican representative for Illinois’ 73rd House District in 2017 after replacing David R. Leitch, according to Wikipedia.
