Press Releases
01/02/2018
Lt. Gov. Wyman: Healthcare Cabinet Draft Report Examining Prescription Drug Costs Released for Public Comment
(HARTFORD, CT) – Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman, Chair of the Connecticut Healthcare Cabinet, today announced that the Healthcare Cabinet is seeking public comment on a draft report outlining cost containment strategies for prescription drugs. The draft report is the culmination of a year-long effort by the Cabinet and its working groups to examine the factors impacting the rising costs of prescription drugs and make recommendations to contain those costs.
“Making healthcare more affordable and accessible requires action across multiple cost drivers. Prescription drugs are a major expense and a big part of the healthcare cost equation—certainly an area we must examine in the effort to get healthcare costs under control,” said Lt. Governor Wyman. “The draft report includes the input of many stakeholders; I urge residents to offer their voices and expertise.”
Public Act 15-146, enacted June 30, 2015, instructed the Connecticut Healthcare Cabinet to submit an initial report to the legislature on healthcare cost-containment strategies. The Recommended Strategies Report, released January 10, 2017, identified the importance of prescription drug cost control to the larger conversation around healthcare affordability, and selected the issue for discussion in 2017.
After engaging industry leaders, healthcare advocates, providers, consumers, and other stakeholders to advise on the factors contributing to higher consumer healthcare costs at the pharmacy, the Cabinet established working groups to make recommendations in the following areas:
- monitoring and controlling health care costs;
- enhancing competition in the health care market;
- promoting use of high-quality health care providers with low total medical expenses and prices;
- improving transparency in health care cost and quality;
- increasing cost effectiveness in the health care market; and
- improving the quality of care and health outcomes.
Upon review and consideration of the recommendations of each working group, the Cabinet directed the working group chairs to prioritize the recommendations and combine them into one report to present to the public for comment.
The public has two weeks in which to submit comment before the report is finalized and sent to the legislature. Comments must be received by 4:30 p.m., January 15, 2018.
The Healthcare Cabinet was established to advise Governor Dannel P. Malloy, Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman, and the Office of Health Reform & Innovation on issues related to federal health reform implementation and the development of an integrated healthcare system for Connecticut.
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Office of Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman