The Senate passed House Bill 24 yesterday unanimously (18-0-3). What are clawbacks? It is when insurance companies and pharmacy benefit managers overcharge for prescription drugs and pocket the remaining profit from the insured’s co-pay. The above graphic illustrates the corrupt practice nicely. The newly passed legislation ends that practice. The House had previously passed the bill, so now it heads to Governor Carney for his signature.
“I think virtually any Delawarean who looks at this issue will agree that it’s wrong and that something needs to be done,” said Sen. David Sokola. “At the end of the day, we have the power and the responsibility as legislators to step in and close loopholes like this one and to protect consumers. I’m thankful to Rep. Bennett for her leadership on this issue and to Sen. DelCollo for sponsoring the bill in the Senate.”
“Pharmacy clawbacks have no place in our healthcare system, and I am proud that we are taking a substantial step forward in eliminating them with HB 24. When insurance companies and benefits managers pocket profits for prescription drugs the patient suffers,” said Rep. Andria Bennett. “The rising cost of prescription drugs force Delawareans to make difficult choices every single day: Do I pick up my diabetes medication or pay my rent? They do not need additional, stealthy costs tacked onto their medication. This legislation is part of our efforts to ensure that patients are not overburdened by excessive medication costs, and I appreciate the work of my colleagues to pass it through the General Assembly.”
“I think the bill was necessary because we have to protect consumers from practices that artificially inflate their costs,” said Sen. Anthony DelCollo. “And when you have a situation where they should be having dollars returned to their pocket and some sort of rule or way of doing things intercepts those dollars, it’s incumbent upon us to make sure they get where they should go, which is back to the consumers.”
WHERE IS THE BILL NOW? Passed House 38–0-3. Passed Senate 18-0-3. Sent to Governor Carney
DEMOCRATIC SPONSORS – Bennett, Sokola, Bentz, Dorsey Walker, Heffernan, Jaques, Kowalko, Seigfried, K.Williams
REPUBLICAN SPONSORS – Delcollo, Pettyjohn, Wilson, D.Short
YES VOTES – HOUSE — Baumbach, Bennett, Bentz, Bolden, Brady, Briggs King, Bush, Carson, Chukwuocha, Collins, D.Short, Dorsey Walker, Dukes, Gray, Heffernan, Hensley, Jaques, K. Johnson, K. Williams, Kowalko, Longhurst, Lynn, Matthews, M.Smith, Minor-Brown, Mitchell, Morris, Osienski, Postles, Q. Johnson, Ramone, Schwartzkopf, Seigfried, Shupe, Smyk, Spiegelman, Vanderwende, Viola, Yearick ||| SENATE– Bonini, Brown, Cloutier, Delcollo, Ennis, Hansen, Hocker, Lawson, McBride, Paradee, Pettyjohn, Poore, Richardson, Sokola, Sturgeon, Townsend, Walsh, Wilson
NO VOTES – None
ABSENT – HOUSE — Cooke, Dorsey Walker, Griffith ||| SENATE– Lockman, Lopez, McDowell
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