In a community like Manvel, where neighbors know each other and small businesses anchor our local economy, health care costs come up frequently in conversations I have with residents. Whether I’m visiting a classroom, attending a church event, or talking with business owners, the concerns sound the same: budgets are stretched thin, health care costs including premiums are continuing to rise, and families are doing everything they can to stay ahead.
That’s why I’m concerned about some of the ideas coming out of Washington right now. Several proposals would layer new federal requirements onto the private market, limiting how employers manage their prescription benefits. Around here, small businesses are the backbone of our community, and many are already struggling to keep up with the cost of providing coverage. Taking care of employees is a priority here in Texas and Washington shouldn’t be putting new barriers between businesses and the people who rely on them.
Prescription spending is a big part of overall health care costs, and employers depend on the savings from their prescription benefits made possible through pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) who negotiate directly with drug companies on behalf of the health plan sponsors who hire them.
PBMs help Texas employers secure discounts and navigate rising drug costs in ways that reflect the unique needs of their workforce — not a rigid set of terms dictated by the government that overlooks individual employers’ needs.
If Washington steps in and limits those tools, especially in the private market, the result is simple: less flexibility, fewer savings, and higher costs for Texas employers, workers, and families.
These ideas would further raise premiums, limit choices, and hand more leverage back to drug companies.
Fortunately, Texas has common sense leaders who recognize we don’t need the government’s heavy hand in our health care system and competition is the greatest way to drive down costs. Senators Cruz and Cornyn have both had a history of standing up against unnecessary government overreach and calling out drug companies’ patent abuse. Senator Cornyn has even been leading the charge to pass legislation that would crack down on Big Pharma’s patent abuse – efforts that if passed would improve competition and lower costs.
I hope they continue to stand their ground and reject any legislation that would interfere in the private market that would hike health care costs and bail out Big Pharma.