The emphasis of the proposed legislation is on enhancing competition, eliminating unnecessary charges, reducing rising prices and increasing affordability for residents and employers, according to a Feb. 21 news release from the governor’s office.
Together, the governor said the proposals would:
- Eliminate hospital facility fees charged at freestanding offices and clinics.
- Implement stronger regulatory enforcement tools at the Connecticut Office of Health Strategy to assure compliance with certificate of need requirements and related conditions of approval.
- Commit Connecticut to joining a multistate bulk purchasing consortium to negotiate prescription drug discounts.
- Require the Office of Health Strategy to annually publish a list of prescription drugs that are experiencing major price spikes.
- Rein in aggressive marketing practices by pharmaceutical representatives.
- Strengthen protections to ensure discounted prescription drugs purchased through the federal 340B program benefit the low-income patients the program was designed to help.
- Limit out-of-network costs for inpatient and outpatient hospital services to 100 percent of the Medicare rate for the same service in the same geographic area.
- Prohibit the use of anti-competitive contracting practices health systems have used to impede competition and increase prices.
