DOVER, Del. – State Auditor Kathy McGuiness applauded the Protect our Care rally that took place yesterday at Wilmington’s Chase Center on the Riverfront.
“As a pharmacist, I have seen firsthand the impact high drug prices have on families,” McGuiness said. “People are regularly forced to choose between putting food on the table and affording their life-saving medications.”
McGuiness released a report in June, titled “Lack of Transparency & Accountability in Drug Pricing Could be Costing Taxpayers Millions,” which looked at the role pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) play in the prescription drug industry. The report found that, over just three years, Delaware likely overpaid Express Scripts Inc., the PBM for its state employees and retirees, by $24.5 million.
“That $24.5 million belongs to the taxpayers of Delaware,” McGuiness said. “And they deserve to have it returned to them by Express Scripts.”
McGuiness said rallies such as Tuesday’s event, which was part of the national Protect Our Care bus tour, are crucial for raising awareness among the public – and for demonstrating to legislators that healthcare is a critical issue for so many people.
“I will continue the fight to ensure taxpayer dollars are not used to line the pockets of these PBMs,” McGuiness said, “and to make certain that every dollar that should go toward lowering drug prices actually does so.”
Learn about the Delaware Auditor’s Office at https://auditor.delaware.gov.
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Contact:
Anna Nuzzolese, Executive Assistant
302-857-3907