WASHINGTON, DC - Within the next several weeks, the Illinois General Assembly will hear arguments on whether or not Governor Ryan’s amendatory veto of HB 2256 should be sustained.  The 21,600 members of the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) in Illinois urge the General Assembly to override the veto and adopt the original language that passed both houses.

Thomas Schatz, President of CCAGW stated, “Frankly, it comes down to one simple point.  CCAGW believes the best place for a physician to make the decision on whether a substitution should be permitted is when the patient is in the physician’s office and both can discuss the merits of which product is best for the patient to use.  In Illinois today, doctors can indicate to the pharmacist what medication they want dispensed by simply checking the ‘may not substitute’ box on the prescription form.”

“Taxpayers and their elected officials must understand that Governor Ryan’s amendatory veto language is not a compromise.  The new language simply mimics the two-year campaign that has been led by Dupont Pharmaceuticals across the country to restrict access to the generic version of their blood-thinning drug Coumadin®.  Creating a list of narrow therapeutic drugs, and now ‘critical care’ drugs, is simply a ruse to retain market share at the expense of consumers and taxpayers,” stated Schatz.

“Our organization has been involved in this campaign since 1997.  CCAGW has testified on this issue in Texas, Virginia, Ohio and Massachusetts.  We have encouraged legislatures and governors in Florida, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Indiana, and Louisiana to reject this type of legislation.  In other states, similar efforts to raise unnecessary barriers to generic drugs have failed.  In those states, patients and taxpayers enjoy saving valuable healthcare dollars by having easy access to generic drugs.”

Schatz concluded, “The General Assembly was right when it passed HB 2256 by overwhelming numbers in both houses.  The bill put the state of Illinois in line with 42 other states across the country that have no regulatory hurdles in accessing generics.  It allowed choice and science to prevail, not special interest politics.  CCAGW’s 21,600 members urge the General Assembly to do the right thing again for Illinois taxpayers and patients in November.  Override the governor’s amendatory veto and retain HB 2256’s original language.”

CCAGW is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, mismanagement and abuse in government.