Governor Tony Evers has announced his proposed two-year state budget will include language aimed at limiting prescription drug costs in Wisconsin.
“No Wisconsinite should have to choose between paying their bills and affording their prescription medication,” said Evers. “Picking up your prescription shouldn’t break the bank, but we know too many Wisconsinites continue to struggle to afford their medications. That’s just not right. Healthcare—medications or otherwise—shouldn’t be a privilege afforded only to the healthy and wealthy, and that’s why we are going to be tackling this issue head-on in our budget.”
No Wisconsinite should have to choose between paying their bills and affording their medication. That’s why we announced today our budget will:
✅lower prescription prices and control costs
✅increase transparency and protect consumers
✅ensure access for our most vulnerable— Governor Tony Evers (@GovEvers) February 3, 2021
The Democratic governor wants a $50 cap on copays for insulin, and elimination of drug copays in the BadgerCare program. Evers’ budget would also create a new board with authority to establish drug spending targets for public sector entities and set price limits, allow the state to import prescription drugs, and create a new state-local entity to leverage purchasing power and reduce costs.
Addressing prescription drug costs could be viewed as a policy item, some of which the Republican co-chairs of the legislature’s budget committee asked Evers not to include in his budget.
“Do not send the legislature another budget like your first budget that was full of tax increases, excessive spending and divisive non-fiscal policy” Joint Finance Committee co-chairs Representative Mark Born (R-Beaver Dam) and Senator Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) wrote in a letter to Evers.
‘Your last budget included many divisive, non-fiscal policy items that should be discussed through the normal legislative process such as eliminating drug testing for welfare recipients, in-state tuition for illegal aliens and gutting common-sense, pro-growth reforms like right to work and the repeal of the prevailing wage laws,” the JFC leaders wrote.
Evers is scheduled to deliver his budget proposal on February 16.
