Bills to reduce insulin and other prescription drug costs return to the California Legislature

Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas framed California’s new legislative session as a chance to increase affordability for people struggling financially.

“I'm calling on us to consider every bill this session through their lens,” said Rivas, a Democrat from Salinas, in a speech at the state Capitol this week.

In response, Democratic Senator Scott Wiener of San Francisco reintroduced two bills meant to cut down drug costs. 

“We know that there are people who are really struggling to afford their insulin or other drugs, people who are foregoing doses or rationing,” he said at a press conference on Wednesday. 

The first bill would cap the price of insulin for all patients at $35 for a one-month supply. The federal government enacted a similar cap last year, but it only applies to older adults covered by Medicare. 

The second would regulate pharmacy benefit managers, which are companies that buy medications from manufacturers and sell to pharmacies and health plans. 

“These are not controversial ideas, and so we'll make that case to the governor,” Wiener said. 

Wiener authored two similar bills last legislative session that passed with wide, bi-partisan support, but were vetoed by Governor Newsom. 

The governor said in his veto notes that he didn’t believe these measures would effectively cut prices. 

He also pointed to the CalRx program – which he announced in 2019. It’s meant to offer common medications at lower costs, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has yet to approve the state’s generic version of insulin for distribution.