(WTIC-AM) -- At a public hearing today, state lawmakers considered offering the same prescription drug discounts negotiated for state employees, to any Connecticut resident.
Supporters of the bill say the rising cost of prescription drugs is a crisis.
They say the discounts would make prescriptions more affordable for people without drug coverage, or with high deductible plans.
AARP State Director Lori Duncan says some people are unable to retire because of the high cost of medication, and she says some people are unable to afford drugs they need.
"I heard from a man in Shelton last month who was paying $1,500 per month for medication for his Crohn's Disease," Duncan said. "He can no longer afford it and he has stopped taking it.
"He basically said he is going to deal with the consequences as they come," Duncan said.
But Connecticut Business and Industry Association Assistant Counsel Michelle Rakebrand says the state may not be able to get better prices for prescription drugs than companies called pharmacy benefit managers.
"Pharmacy benefit managers have been doing this for a long time, they have been in the industry, they know both the pharmaceutical side of the business as well as the insurance side of the business," Rakebrand said.
Supporters of the drug discount sharing proposal say the costs of the program would be minimal.
The state would not pay for the drugs, it would just offer a way to get a discount.
The same bill before the General Assembly Insurance Committee would also have the state study reimporting medicine from Canada, where some drugs are much less expensive.