Bill > LD697

Introduced Session

This bill makes the following changes to the laws governing the Maine Prescription Drug Affordability Board. 1. It adds to the board the executive director of the Maine Health Data Organization, or the executive director's designee, as an ex officio, nonvoting member. 2. It removes the authority of the board to recommend that public payors pay an annual assessment to support the administration of the board. 3. It changes the scope of the duties of the board from determining prescription drug spending targets to focusing on an assessment of strategies to reduce prescription drug costs, reduce the rate of growth in prescription drug spending and reduce cost barriers for consumers. 4. It requires the board to review how states with authority to establish upper payment limits have implemented that authority and their regulation of pharmacy benefits managers, to recommend whether the board should have comparable authority and to assess implementing reference-based pricing for the first 10 prescription drugs for which the Medicare program has negotiated maximum fair prices through the Medicare drug price negotiation program. 5. It requires the board to recommend annual spending targets for prescription drugs for public payors and implementing complementary purchasing strategies; annual spending targets and strategies for the commercial insurance market; transparency requirements and supply chain regulation; strategies to reduce out-of-pocket costs through insurance regulation; and aligning prescription drug payment with acquisition costs. The bill also directs the board to recommend a program to reduce the impact of prescription drug costs on the State's health care system, stem the rate of growth in prescription drug spending and reduce cost barriers for consumers based on data the board has collected. The board is directed to submit in reports to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over health coverage, insurance and financial services matters a preliminary plan to implement the program by January 30, 2026 and a final plan by October 1, 2027. The joint standing committee is authorized to report out legislation based on the reports.

Committee Categories

Cameron Reny (D)*,  Donna Bailey (D),  Henry Ingwersen (D),  Anne-Marie Mastraccio (D),  Kristi Mathieson (D),  Joe Rafferty (D),  Denise Tepler (D), 

HELD BY THE GOVERNOR. (on 07/08/2025)

Official Document