State Rep. Sarah Lightner and the Michigan Legislature today finalized a plan to help reduce the cost of prescription medicine in Michigan.

Lightner, of Springport, said the average price of medication to treat diabetes, heart disease, depression and other common conditions has more than doubled over the past six years.

“As prices keep going up, more and more people are struggling to afford the cost of the medicine they are prescribed,” Lightner said. “No one should be forced to skip doses or cut pills in half just to get by. This plan will help drive down costs by adding accountability and requiring more transparency from the companies that control drug prices.”

House Bill 4348 will help lower drug prices by reining in pharmacy benefit managers – the unregulated middlemen who have been manipulating drug prices to make more money for themselves instead of passing along savings to consumers. By making the middlemen more transparent and accountable to the people of Michigan, rebates from drug manufacturers are more likely to be passed along to health plans and patients, resulting in savings.

The plan is now on its way to the governor’s desk after receiving overwhelming bipartisan support in both the House and Senate.

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