Ritter to Step in on Prescription Drug Plan

Gov. Ritter will issue an executive order that will enable Colorado to join a multi-state prescription drug purchasing pool, he said in his State of the State speech yesterday. As some had speculated, the order will bypass a potential fight in the legislature, even though a bill on the issue would have likely passed. In 2005 and 2006, Sen. Bob Hagedorn and House Majority Leader Alice Madden sponsored similar bills that passed the legislature, only to be vetoed by Gov. Owens.

As quoted in a Denver Post editorial, Sen. Minority Leader Andy McElhany objected to “politicians and bureaucrats choosing prescription drugs for our most vulnerable citizens.” But, as the Post points out, “something must be done to make medications more affordable.”

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