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SALT LAKE CITY — Two Utah leaders, a Republican in Salt Lake City and a Democrat in Washington, D.C., are crossing political boundaries to try to do what no one seems to be able to do: bring down the soaring prices of prescription drugs.
A lifetime of interest
Rep. Norm Thurston holds a bachelor's degree from BYU, and an MS and a Ph.D. in economics from Princeton University. Thurston formerly served as director of the state's Office of Health Care Statistics.
"I've always been interested in trying to help make markets more efficient," he said. "Prescription drugs, in particular, is a problem area where markets are not very efficient and we do see prices that are a lot higher than they need to be."
Thurston received praise for the passage of his House Bill 207, Insulin Access Amendments. It created a co-pay cap of $30 per month per prescription. It also sets up a bulk purchasing program that will bring down the price for state employees and those without insurance.
H.B. 207, Insulin Access Amendments, passes its second reading in the Senate! pic.twitter.com/4vkil7Tark
— Norm Thurston (@NormThurston) March 10, 2020
Fighting big pharma
Congressman Ben McAdams says he hears about the soaring price of prescription drugs more than any other issue.
"I was waiting to catch a flight from D.C. home to Utah," he recalled. "A gentleman came up to me and said, 'I want to tell you my story.' He said, 'I have a rare form of cancer [and] as long as I take my medication, the doctors tell me it's manageable and I will not die from this cancer.'"
The man went on to explain that if he ever lost his job, he would have no way to pay for this medication.
"If I lost my job, it would be a death sentence," the man said.
It's unacceptable that Utahns suffer because they can't afford their prescribed insulin. This week I voted for bipartisan bills to make drug pricing more transparent and I continue to support measures to lower prices. #utpolpic.twitter.com/fonlQwyi8V
— Rep. Ben McAdams (@RepBenMcAdams) October 31, 2019
Click here to view additional coverage about the prices of prescription drugs in Utah.
Reporters Kelli Pierce and John Wojcik collaborated on this in-depth report, "A Costly Cure." Find their full report and additional resources at KSLNewsRadio.com.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Thurston was currently the director of the state's Office of Health Care Statistics. This story has been updated.
