ATLANTA – State Representative Demetrius Douglas (D-Stockbridge) was recently named by Johnson & Johnson as its 2022 Georgia Legislator of the Year. Rep. Douglas was selected for his bipartisan legislative efforts to lower the cost of prescription drug prices.
“I am honored to receive this award from Johnson & Johnson, and I appreciate their partnership on this serious issue,” said Rep. Douglas. “Health insurance plans are increasingly requiring patients to bear the significant out-of-pocket costs for their prescription medications. The burdens of high or unpredictable prescription drug pricing fall disproportionally on patients with chronic or debilitating conditions, and the legislation I sponsored, House Bill 164, would greatly protect consumers from being taken advantage of when they purchase these crucial medicines.”
During the 2021 legislative session, Rep. Douglas introduced House Bill 164, the Prescription Drug Consumer Financial Protection Act, to update cost sharing requirements for prescription drugs. HB 164 would prevent prescription drug rebates from going directly to health insurance companies and, instead, require rebates to be made available to patients at the pharmacy counter. Under HB 164, at least 80 percent of these rebates would be made available to the patient at the point-of-sale.
Pharmaceutical manufacturers can offer sizeable rebates, discounts and price concessions for these drugs, and health insurers may have an opportunity to retain the value of the rebates without passing them on to enrollees. Through HB 164, Rep. Douglas seeks to allow patients to also benefit from these savings.
For more information on HB 164, please click here.
Representative Demetrius Douglas represents the citizens of District 78, which includes portions of Clayton and Henry counties. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2012 and currently serves on the Special Committee on Election Integrity and the Banks & Banking, Insurance, Health & Human Services, Intragovernmental Coordination, MARTOC and Motor Vehicles committees.
###