HEALTHCARE

Policymakers must focus on bringing down healthcare costs to ensure Idahoans have access to affordable care. The pharmaceutical industry has long been the target of regulatory efforts aimed at reducing healthcare costs. While those efforts have largely been successful, the
persistent focus on drug pricing has drawn attention away from other major drivers of healthcare cost increases, including insurance premiums, hospital overbilling, and consolidation in the healthcare industry.

Today, 93% of Americans have some type of prescription coverage, whether through Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurance. Recent regulatory changes, like capping co-pays and other changes to Medicare, have lowered costs and will continue to do so.

It is time to focus on other aspects of the healthcare system that adversely impact patients and demand reform. While policymakers and industry continue working to lower prescription drug prices, there are far more urgent matters – such as lowering insurance premiums and preventing hospital overbilling – that will have an immediate effect on reducing costs and improving patient outcomes.