Eye On Illinois: Lawmakers can push, but prescription drug ecosystem unlikely to budge

Do you get points for trying?

Last week’s Capitol News Illinois report “State health care committee continues to press pharmaceutical middlemen” (tinyurl.com/PBMpressure) is an essential read for those concerned about the affordability of and access to quality medical care and prescription drugs, but hanging over the issue is an unavoidable truth that no matter how much good work comes from places like the House Health Care Availability and Access Committee, actual conditions for everyday consumers will not meaningfully change absent an act of Congress and then a Supreme Court ruling affirming lawmakers’ decisions.

The Federal Trade Commission is conducting an antitrust probe of pharmacy benefit managers, the for-profit companies that negotiate drug purchase rules and prices with pharmacies and insurers. As those companies consolidate – the top six process 94% of the drugs American pharmacies dispense – consumer choice dwindles, both in the types of medication available and, more importantly, the places to buy those drugs.

Independent pharmacies used to be a staple of local economies, and although this issue alone isn’t driving them out of business, it’s certainly a significant factor, even as overall spending on prescriptions skyrockets.

General Assembly members will keep investigating and may be able to effect some small, state-level reforms. But they’re facing billions in corporate money and Congressional stagnation. Don’t get your hopes up.

GOOD NEWS FOR A CHANGE: It would be possible to turn this entire column into a daily breakdown of failures at the Department of Children and Family Services, from individual cases to systemic shortcomings. And while that agency absolutely invited and deserves its current journalistic scrutiny, there are successes and those also warrant attention.

On Friday, state officials celebrated 352 children with active or former DCFS cases who qualified for agency scholarships, which, according to a news release, can include “up to five consecutive years of tuition and mandatory fee waivers valid at Illinois public universities and community colleges. The program also provides student recipients with financial assistance for books and school supplies, a monthly grant payment to supplement other expenses, and an Illinois Medicaid card.”

The program used to benefit about 50 students each year, but 259 qualified in 2023. More growth is possible as the $5.66 million in the fiscal 2024 budget grew to $11.16 million for next year’s high school graduates. “Four awards are reserved for the children of veterans, and two awards are reserved for students pursuing degrees in social work in honor of Pamela Knight and Deidre Silas, two DCFS caseworkers who succumbed to injuries sustained in the line of duty,” according to the release.

The bright future for these 352 kids is all the more reason to increase efforts to improve outcomes for every child who interacts with the system.

• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Local News Network. Follow him on X @sth749. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.