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AG candidates jockey for support on drug issues Friday, May 19, 2006 By Aaron Sadler Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - Buoyed by the endorsement of the Arkansas Pharmacists Association, Democratic attorney general hopeful Robert Herzfeld crisscrossed the state Thursday proposing prescription drug reform. Herzfeld, the Saline County prosecutor, flew to four cities to announce his plan to regulate businesses that he contended are driving up prescription drug prices as an opponent with health care high on his resume maintained Herzfeld's plan actually would push drug costs even higher. Herzfeld jockeyed state Rep. Dustin McDaniel of Jonesboro to champion the health care issue just days before Tuesday's Democratic primary. McDaniel is chairman of the Joint Interim Committee on Health Insurance and Prescription Drugs. The other Democratic candidate for attorney general is North Little Rock City Attorney Paul Suskie. The winner faces Republican Gunner DeLay of Fort Smith in November. In stops at Jonesboro, Springdale, Fort Smith and Texarkana, Herzfeld proposed regulating Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs), companies that administer drug coverage programs. Herzfeld and Mark Riley, executive vice president of the pharmacists' association, called the PBMs "middle men." "These middle men use shady accounting and accept kickbacks from pharmaceutical companies which drive prescription drug prices up for Arkansans and are driving small-town pharmacies out of business," Herzfeld said. Attempts to contact several PBMs were unsuccessful. Riley said the association gave its first-ever endorsement of a candidate for attorney general to Herzfeld in part because of his stance on PBMs. It's also partly why the association opposes McDaniel, who opposed a anti-PBM bill in the 2005 General Assembly. McDaniel said the bill would have made pharmacists fiduciary agents and cut employers out of the negotiation and regulation process. He predicted the price of prescription drugs would escalate without an intermediary. "PBMs have done some bad things, but taking away the rights of the consumer walking into the pharmacy and increasing dramatically the cost of prescription drugs, that's why I refused to support it." McDaniel said. McDaniel pushed the Arkansas Rx program through the Legislature last year. The law gives Medicaid authority to negotiate with drug companies for lower prices. "We actually supported and helped Rep. McDaniel pass the Arkansas Rx program, a program that hasn't really taken effect yet," Riley said. "We had some differences in language on a bill dealing with these middle men." Riley said Herzfeld is "on point" with many of the pharmacists' issues. Herzfeld's proposal would force transparency in PBM transactions and ensure proper business practices by the companies. He said he would train pharmacists, consumers and health plan administrators about "hidden pitfalls" of dealing with PBMs. He promised to file lawsuits against PBMs that violated trade laws. He said one PBM this month charged nearly $100 for a prescription that could be purchased wholesale for less than $5. "More than 20 attorneys general around the nation have filed lawsuits against these middle men for unfair trade practices, and won," Herzfeld said. McDaniel has proposed a health care bureau within the attorney general's office to study and respond to health-care related complaints. "What I care about is the issue of prescription drugs that apply to all of our people of all ages," McDaniel said. "I have a strong background and understanding in these areas and will always be an advocate for the consumer." Suskie, who has stayed out of the prescription drug fray, said he would work with the Legislature to make prescription drugs more affordable. "I favor open information to the public to understand how PBMs work," Suskie said. "I'll also work with the consumer protection division to fight fraud." |
