Opinion: Don’t Fall for Lies – SB 41 is Critical to Reducing Drug Costs and Improving Access
By Zenay Arnold | Special to California Black Media Partners
I was diagnosed with lupus while recovering from a divorce I did not see coming. Not only did I believe I was happily married, but I was only 32 and at the top of my game working at a very prestigious law firm.
Then, one morning, I couldn’t move at all.
Managing my emotions related to my divorce, let alone my diagnosis, was challenging to say the least. If it were not for my faith in God and my family, I don’t think I would have transitioned through that awful time as well as I did.
Even though my diagnosis felt like the ground had been pulled out from under me, I knew I would never give up. What followed were two words that defined my journey then — and still do today: We Win.
That was more than 21 years ago, and I am still alive, fighting through good and bad days. I’m thankful and grateful to God for letting me live each day and for my good days to still outweigh my bad days.
Living with lupus can cost more than $60,000 a year depending on the severity of the disease. Particularly with a condition like lupus that has no cure, timely and affordable access to care is critical. Unfortunately, even with good insurance, health insurance plans and their affiliated Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) are inflating costs and driving community pharmacies out of business, particularly in Black and Latino neighborhoods.
PBMs are the companies that operate as go-betweens with pharmaceutical manufacturers, your health insurance plan, and pharmacies. Essentially, they determine how much a medication will cost, and if insurance will cover it. Over the years, PBMs’ role in drug pricing has grown dramatically, and not for the benefit of patients. In 2024, the Federal Trade Commission released a report which found that “PBMs wield enormous power over patients’ ability to access and afford their prescription drugs.” Two months later, the Commission sued the biggest PBMs (CVS Caremark, Express Scripts, Optum, and their affiliates) for creating a broken system that enabled them to boost profits at the expense of vulnerable patients.
