Pew Discusses Drivers of Drug Spending Before Senate HELP Committee

On June 13, Allan Coukell, senior director of health programs for The Pew Charitable Trusts, testified at the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions’ hearing, “The Cost of Prescription Drugs: How the Drug Delivery System Affects What Patients Pay.” His remarks focused on the challenge of rising pharmaceutical costs; drivers of increased drug spending; and potential policy responses, such as increasing competition among existing drugs and generics and incorporating a drug’s value into insurance coverage and payment decisions.