This congressman has a plan to fight back against Big Pharma's price-gouging

Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida, the youngest member of Congress, has a plan to stem the decades of Big Pharma’s price-gouging. On Thursday, Frost and fellow Democratic Rep. Doris Matsui of California introduced the “EPIPEN Act,” which would cap the out-of-pocket price for a two-pack of the life-saving epinephrine injector at $60 for those with private health insurance.

The medication, commonly known under the trade name EpiPen, is primarily used to treat anaphylaxis, a severe and possibly fatal allergic reaction. And its costs skyrocketed from $100 in 2009 to over $600 in 2016, under the ownership of pharmaceutical company Mylan. With a shelf life of 12 to 18 months, those costs add up for people and organizations who depend on them as a life-saving medical intervention.

The bill, whose full title is the “Epinephrine’s Pharma Inflated Price Ends Now Act,” would impose a cost-sharing requirement of no more than $60 for any group health plan or for any insurer offering group or individual insurance coverage. Frost described the intentions of the bill in a press release, saying, “As someone who has suffered a life-threatening allergic reaction, I know first-hand just how critical it is to have access to an EpiPen or an auto-injector when your body needs it most. But right now, we have a problem in America where people who need EpiPens aren't carrying them simply because of the cost.”