Is the Senate gearing up to actually pass drug pricing legislation? A bill from Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) that would cap insulin copays at $35 per month appears to be on the fast track toward becoming law. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) proclaimed on the Senate floor Thursday that the bill would be a “priority for Democrats in the weeks ahead” — a rare shoutout for a bill that has not even been cleared out of committee. It’s no surprise Democrats are prioritizing the bill: It could provide some immediate relief to patients struggling with high drug costs ahead of a contentious midterm election. The feds, frankly, are also woefully behind the states on this issue: at least 18 states have already passed similar legislation, according to the advocacy organization T1International. But not everyone is convinced that it's a good idea to pass Warnock’s bill now, as Democrats’ larger drug pricing package is stalled. Drug pricing advocates raised both strategic and policy concerns with passing Warnock’s bill in conversations with STAT last week. “We think it's a mistake if Sen. Schumer makes that bill a priority,” said David Mitchell, the founder of Patients for Affordable Drugs. “We feel strongly that the Senate should remain focused on passing [the larger drug pricing package], and we don't want to take our eye off the ball and do something that is far less when something much better is in fact within reach.” Shaina Kasper, a policy manager at T1International, also told STAT that Warnock’s bill “is letting the pharmaceutical industry get away with their greed.” She criticized the bill for not actually cutting the cost of insulin and said the bill would just require patients to make up for high insulin costs through higher insurance costs. Mitchell raised a similar concern. The debate underscores that Democrats’ efforts to demonstrate they haven’t given up on lowering drug prices — even on seeming no-brainers like lowering insulin costs for patients — could backfire. | 
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