Downing Targets Skyrocketing Drug Prices

As the regulatory agency for the insurance industry in Montana, we are tasked to review health insurance rates offered by commercial plans, like Blue Cross or Pacific Source. One clear and unchanging trend is that health insurance plans spend a tremendous amount of money paying for prescription drugs for enrollees.

CMS, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, has projected that spending on retail prescription drugs is growing faster than any other health category and will continue to do so for the remainder of this decade. During the last legislative session, the Montana Commission...