by KYW's David Madden
A public hearing Thursday morning in West Goshen, Chester County, dealt with part of the Rendell administration’s plan to overhaul the Commonwealth’s health care system -- specifically, how much the state pays for prescription drugs handed out under various programs.
If the Pennsylvania Welfare Department gets its way, drugs now doled out by managed-care companies to those on medical assistance will come under state control. A panel that now meets twice a year would develop a list of "preferred" drugs -- getting not just a larger cut of federal funds but better prices from drug companies, according to deputy welfare secretary Michael Nardone:
"We have a plan in place to ensure transition to the new program, but our main goal through all of this is to ensure that people have access to medications they need in order th ensure quality care."
This plan has been proposed before but fell victim to budget negotiations (translation: lobbyist pressure). If the plan is implemented as proposed in October, it could save the state about $94 million a year.
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