Transparency on RX drug costs

Consumers could know the actual costs to produce the prescription medicines they need, under legislation introduced last week by Sen. Kevin Ranker, D-Orcas Island.

“People who rely on prescription drugs for their health are finding them increasingly expensive to purchase, even with a copay,” Ranker said. “Consumers should have the confidence that the manufacturer is charging a fair price.”

Ranker’s Senate Bill 6471 would require pharmaceutical companies to make their pricing as transparent as the pricing in other sectors of the health care industry by reporting a breakdown of those costs to the state Health Care Authority.

The breakdown would include the separate costs to both the manufacturer and any predecessor or any related entity for production; R&D; clinical trial or other regulatory costs; materials manufacturing and administration; acquisition; patents; and marketing and advertising. The breakdown would also include the annual history of average wholesale price and acquisition cost increases; the total profit attributable to the drug; and the total financial assistance in dollars and as a percentage of company profits.

This information would be audited by a fully independent, third-party auditor prior to filing and must be filed annually.

“At the end of the day, there’s not much that’s more important than a person’s health, and the cost of prescription drugs can push a household to the brink in some cases,” Ranker said.

Protections for firefighters, EMTs

Firefighters and others exposed to conditions that can lead to occupational disease would gain increased protections under legislation introduced last week by Sen. Kevin Ranker, D-Orcas Island.

“Firefighters and fire investigators, as well as EMTs and other first responders, constantly place themselves at risk to help others,” Ranker said. “We owe it to them to have their backs when the risks of their work come home to roost in the form of cancers and other occupational illnesses.”

The measure works two ways: It adds to the number of cancers considered occupational diseases, and it extends the protections enjoyed by firefighters to EMTs and public employee fire investigators.

“Scientific studies show that firefighters are at greater risk or are more likely to die from these cancers,” Ranker said.

Legislation in 1987 originally covered firefighters for heart problems and lung conditions. Additional legislation in 2002 and 2007 added numerous cancers to the list. This bill adds more cancers as well as breast cancer and MRSA infections.

“Every firefighter can tell you that either they have been personally affected by cancer or know another firefighter who has been affected by cancer, attributed to our profession,” said Kelly Fox, president of the Washington State Council of Firefighters. “It’s not something we like to think about but it’s a concern none of us can ignore.”

The key benefit of the list of diseases is that it places the burden of proof on an employer to prove that the disease is not duty related, instead of on the employee to prove it is duty related.

“Firefighters and other responders and investigators regularly work in high-stress, high-risk conditions,” Ranker said. “We need them focused on their work, not on having to document their illnesses.”