Calling 911 on SB 966: Keep Prescription Benefits Safe and Affordable

As a community leader and activist, I take pride in doing my part to support my community’s well-being. To me and my organization, that includes a commitment to providing affordable health care and prescription drug coverage for our community members. We also know that there are significant health disparities, particularly in Black and Latino communities, and we are proud to be doing our part to close the gap.

Unfortunately, California lawmakers have introduced a new bill, SB 966, that would cause huge increases in prescription drug costs for patients, unions, small businesses, and anyone who purchases health care on the individual market. This is an alarming development for individuals across our state, who are already struggling to get by amid the sky-high costs of living in California. We simply cannot afford higher healthcare costs. Any cost increases could force patients to choose between picking up their medications or paying for groceries, or force business owners to cut the benefits they offer their workers.

Unfortunately, SB 966 would increase healthcare costs by millions for Californians, unceremoniously slamming unions and employers who provide benefits, as well as the patients who rely on those benefits, with higher fees and restricted access to high-quality pharmacies. What this means in practice is reduced healthcare access for vulnerable communities and higher costs for California workers and families at the pharmacy counter.

As a leader in my community, I work hard to find the right benefits that work best for the people around me – in healthcare, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. What works for an organization with thousands – or even tens of thousands – of members doesn’t work for one with ten, one hundred, or five hundred.

However, SB 966 would take away many of the choices that we – and patients – rely on. It would eliminate our ability to negotiate with pharmacies for lower costs at the counter, and instead require that all pharmacies be paid the same, higher, rate. That might be a win for Walgreens, but that’s not a win for patients.

What’s more, SB 966 goes so far as to make it illegal for us to hold pharmacies to high quality and safety standards. Many groups choose to require pharmacies that dispense specialty drugs – those that provide medications for serious or chronic diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS) and cancer, or medications that have very specific storage and handling requirements – to meet independent, third-party accreditation standards and provide additional services like 24/7 support. This bill would let any pharmacy dispense these specialty drugs – endangering patient safety.

Our communities are struggling in this very uncertain economy, with some even living paycheck to paycheck. Creating additional barriers to accessing quality, affordable prescription drugs is not the way to solve the growing health inequities in our state. Rather, disruptions to continuity of care, like missed doses of medicine, have been proven to lead to worse health outcomes, particularly among Black and Hispanic communities and women. This bill would only be fanning the flames of this existing crisis.

We are calling on our legislators to see this bill as it is – a dangerous risk to the health and well-being of Californians — and reject it. California organizations have the right and responsibility to offer individuals high quality, affordable health care coverage, but SB 966 would make this much harder.

We urge our state lawmakers to stand with California patients, unions, businesses, and communities by saying no to SB 966.

Gloria Colazo is Ecuadorian Chamber of Commerce (Regional Director) as well as:

El Salvadoran Chamber of Commerce (Ambassador for International Affairs)
St. Jude’s Hospital (International Ambassador)

Guatemalan Chamber of Commerce

Mexican Chamber of Commerce

Nicaraguan Chamber of Commerce

Filipino Chamber of Commerce