Indiana Legislator Pushes Plan for Fair Prescription Drug Prices

Working closely with Indiana AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Jerry Payne, Indiana Representative Clyde Kersey led the fight last year to lower prescription drug prices for the state’s uninsured residents. His bill, the “Fair Pricing for Prescription Drugs Act,” was modeled after the innovative Maine law that directs the state to act as a negotiator for the uninsured.

Kersey and the bill’s advocates had to deal with the challenge of having a major pharmaceutical firm in their backyard, Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Co. Lacking the size, power and money of the drug lobbyists-the main opponents of the bill-Kersey and his allies learned to be creative. As part of the campaign, the Indiana AFL-CIO and UAW sponsored two bus trips to Canada so that seniors could get their prescriptions filled at much lower prices. The trips were highly successful in bringing public attention to the issue through extensive media coverage. Kersey also gained support for his plan by touring the state to visit with senior citizens, senior advocacy groups, and members of the faith and labor communities, to learn more about the problem and advocate for his solution.

Against the odds, Kersey’s bill passed the House, but it died in the Senate. Undeterred, he quickly began planning a strategy for the 2002 session, bolstered by a U.S. Court of Appeals decision upholding the Maine plan.

“When I first advanced this idea in 2001, its biggest benefit was providing additional assistance to thousands of retired Hoosiers and other residents who cannot afford the drugs they need to stay healthy,” Kersey said. “It’s needed now, more than ever,” he added, since Indiana, like most states, is facing serious budget problems.

The legislator is promoting his 2002 bill as a way to help alleviate the financial crunch. If enacted, the bill would help the state realize as much as $150 million in Medicaid program savings, while residents without prescription drug coverage would receive discounts of up to 40 percent.

“This is a battle that we’re going to continue to fight until we get a resolution,” said Kersey. “It’s a matter of fairness.”

First elected in 1996, Kersey sits on the Education, Labor and Employment, and Ways and Means Committees. The former schoolteacher is also the School Finance Subcommittee Chairman.