ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) – Several health organizations came together Wednesday to address the high costs of prescription drugs in Illinois by introducing a bill meant to ease the financial burden.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says the average list price of prescription drugs increased from $150 in July 2021 to $250 the following year. Should the bill pass, the Prescription Drug Affordability Act would establish a board to study how accessible certain drugs are to the general public. State Senator David Koehler says the bill will set upper payment limits on supply chains while lowering consumer costs.

“This would help us to evaluate what’s going on and try to bring the cost down so people can afford the drugs that they need to take,” Koehler says. “This is not a matter of choice, it’s a matter of necessity.”

University of Chicago general surgery resident Dr. Anthony Douglas shared the hardships he witnessed of patients struggling to meet their medical and financial needs. He says many of his patients had to deny medication to pay other expenses like rent and food. These high prices have created racial, ethnic and rural disparities in drug access and use amongst Illinois adults, an issue the legislation will take major strides to reduce.

“Marginalized minority communities who experience disproportionate rates of unemployment, that impact of uninsurance and the impact of chronic diseases increases dependency on pharmaceutical drugs, worsens financial burden and leads to poor health outcomes,” Douglas says.

A study from Health Care Value Hub found that 58% of Illinois adults struggled to afford healthcare in 2022. Elevated prescription drug prices have resulted in many skipping daily drug doses or choosing not to refill prescriptions at all. Bill sponsors say this is unacceptable.

“The older you get the more medication is really part of your healthcare plan and so what happens is seniors get priced out of the market,” Koehler says. “It’s not right in America where you’d have people having to decide between paying their rent or having their medications paid for.”

Senator Koehler previously showed support for the Illinois Generic Drug Pricing Fairness Act which prohibited price gouging of certain medications. That act took effect earlier this year.

If the bill is accepted, Illinois will become the 9th state to develop a Prescription Drug Affordability Board.

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