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Citizen Action Illinois, a progressive policy and political
coalition, is pushing for measures at the statehouse to
establish a prescription drug affordability board, or PDAB.
“Creating a prescription drug affordability board in Illinois
can save over $190 million in just one year for only the first
10 drugs Medicare has negotiated,” said Citizen Action Illinois
policy manager Julia Warheit.
Warheit said the PDAB would adopt the federal Medicare maximum
fair price as the statewide upper limit, extending those savings
to consumers who are not on Medicaid.
“When Medicare negotiates a lower price, Illinois gets that
lower price, too. It's that simple,” she said during a news
conference in Springfield Tuesday.
In Colorado, Julia Warheit said such a board is saving consumers
$32 million in one year alone for one particular drug.
“Colorado is proving that states don't have to be victims of a
national market,” Warheit said. “We can set our own guardrails,
and we need this now more than ever with federal health care
cuts on the horizon for 2026.”
AARP Illinois Senior Associate State Director Lori Hendren said
consensus is growing to approve either Illinois House Bill 1443
or Senate Bill 66.
“Illinois 50 plus are counting on us, especially now today, to
take action,” Hendren said. “That is why AARP Illinois is
calling on lawmakers to pass this legislation that establishes a
strong and effective PDAB.”
Listed opponents of the measures include BlueCross BlueShield of
Illinois, the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, the Illinois
Manufacturers' Association, and several other medical
associations and foundations.
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