On August 31, U.S. District Judge Colleen Lawless entered an injunction blocking Illinois state officials from enforcing their new Prescription Drug Affordability Act (PDAA). She found that the state law almost certainly conflicts with the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).
When signing the measure into law, Gov. JB Pritzker said the state could use PDAA to address a “health care system infected by profit-seeking middlemen and predatory actors looking to make an extra dime at the expense of Illinois patients.”
However, opponents of the new law believe that Illinois’ pharmacy network restrictions and stringent reporting requirements oppose ERISA and will lead to higher costs and burdens for employers and raise cost-sharing and premiums for patients.
Judge Lawless agrees.
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