In a closely watched development, House lawmakers in Washington state passed a bill to create a prescription drug affordability board, a controversial tactic that a growing number of states are exploring as they seek to control the rising cost of medicines.
These initiatives are loosely modeled on rate-setting boards that regulate what public utilities can charge residents. In this instance, the Washington board would run “affordability reviews” to determine whether a medicine is priced at excessive levels or has sharply increased in price and, if that was found to be the case, set an upper-payment limit, according to this document.