Giant pharmaceutical companies try to force their products on Texans at any price point, block access to generic competitors, and rig the patent system to reduce competition. Texas Senator John Cornyn has introduced the Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act, which would help lower drug prices by preventing bad actors’ anti-competitive use of patents to block generic and biosimilar competition from coming to market.

Texas legislators are making health insurance more expensive by adding one-size-fits-all requirements that go above and beyond what’s found even in Obamacare. In fact, Texas now ranks 3rd in the nation for the most healthcare mandates, and it’s Texas employers and families who are stuck paying the costs. TAHC fights new government mandates and works to shine a light on the true cost of these burdensome regulations. We support SB 1581, for instance, which proposes to create a new advisory committee at the University of Texas Health Science Center which would prepare cost analyses of any proposed new mandate in health care. Additionally, HB 1001/SB proposes to create a “mandate-lite” option for employers looking to provide health care and Rx drug benefits for their employers, circumventing many of Texas’ cost-prohibitive requirements and mandates.

Hospitals mark up their prices by an average of 300% while utilizing confusing billing structures meant to hide the true costs of their care. TAHC worked to pass SB 490 in the 2023 session which requires hospitals to provide patients with easily understood itemized billing. Reigning in outrageous price markups starts with shining a light on these abuses.

Big Pharma and some independent pharmacists are working to eliminate the ability of employers with self-funded benefit plans to incentivize shopping at pharmacies with lower prices. Employers work to drive down costs by using lower co-pays to encourage patients to visit pharmacies that sell drugs at lower prices. We work to oppose legislation like HB 2021 and SB 1137 that would eliminate those incentives and drive up prices for all Texans.

Big Pharma and some independent pharmacists are working to eliminate protections from price gouging for specialty drugs and at specialty pharmacies. We work to oppose legislation like HB 1647 which eliminates cost control measures and prevents physician-owned pharmacies from overcharging on specialty drugs.

Special interests are attacking incentives for mail-order delivery of drugs and access to mail-order. Mail-order Rx drugs must be protected as a convenient, affordable option for rural Texas, the elderly and the disabled.