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PAGE 2A PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. AUGUST 13. 2020
Rules on prescription drug prices
tightened in Kemp-signed bill
By Beau Evans
Staff writer
Capitol Beat News Service
Gov. Brian Kemp signed
legislation Wednesday tight
ening rides on third-party
companies that play a role in
negotiating pharmaceutical
drug prices between insurers
and local pharmacies in
Georgia.
The bill Kemp signed into
law requires companies
called pharmacy benefits
managers (PBMs) to set drag
prices within a national aver
age, a move aimed at reining
in excessively high prescrip
tion prices.
PBMs act as go-betweens
for prescribes and insurance
companies that contract with
health insurers to negotiate
lower drag prices for pa
tients. But critics have long
accused them of muddying
the process, prompting in
creases in drag prices and un
necessary delays in filling
prescriptions.
Senate Bill 313, by state
Sen. Dean Burke, R-Bain-
bridge, also forces PBMs to
offer up full rebates to health
plans that are typically given
by dragmakers, rather than
pocketing a portion.
And PBMs will need to
submit to new audits by the
state Department of Commu
nity Health as well as re
quirements for publishing
data on prescription prices
online.
The bill mirrored a sepa
rate measure introduced dur
ing the 2020 legislative ses
sion by state Rep. David
Knight, R-Griffin, who called
the drag-price rales a com
promise between PBMs, in
surers, pharmacies and state
officials.
‘‘[This] will be the tough
est PBM legislation in the na
tion,” Knight said in June.
“We can finally bring trans
parency to drug pricing and
give choice to our patients.”
PBM representatives were
less enthused by the bill’s
signing Wednesday. The
Pharmaceutical Care Man
agement Association, repre
senting PBMs, argued the
new rales could increase drag
prices and hamstring negoti
ating powers PBMs use to
drive down costs.
“[The bill] takes a step in
the wrong direction by un
dermining the tools that phar
macy benefit managers,
PBMs, use to reduce drag
costs,” said spokesman Greg
Lopes.
Burke’s bill was among
the top priorities for Georgia
Senate Republican leaders in
this year’s session, along
with measures to curb the
practice of surprise hospital
charges.
It followed legislation
signed last year aimed at pre
venting PBMs from steering
patients to associated phar
macies with potentially
higher costs.
This week, Kemp also
signed legislation by state
Rep. Sharon Cooper, R-Ma-
rietta, that seeks to bolster
those rales on steering and
relax some penalties for phar
macies that are audited by
PBMs.
Senator Payne on the signage
of Senate bills 43 and 104
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Office of the governor / Photo
Sen. Chuck Payne (R -
Dalton) joined Governor
Brian P. Kemp for the sig
nage of two bills: Senate Bill
43 and Senate Bill 104. Both
sponsored by Sen. Payne, SB
43 and SB 104 respectively
address the regulation of cer
tain government activities, as
well as several sunset provi
sions for sales and use taxes.
“It was an honor to stand
beside Gov. Kemp, as he
signed into law two bills that
will have a tremendous im
pact on our state,” said Sen.
Payne. “SB 43 and SB 104
not only represent years of
hard work, listening to the
concerns of constituents, but
they also reflect a future of
growth. By taking the initia
tive to support our local busi
nesses and key industries, we
are able to ensure that Geor
gia remains a great place to
live, work and raise a family
for years to come. I want to
thank my colleagues in both
the House and the Senate for
reaching an agreement, Rep.
Kasey Carpenter (R - Dal
ton) for carrying these bills in
the House and for Gov.
Kemp’s support throughout. I
look forward to all of the
progress that will come.”
Under the provisions of
SB 43, government bodies
with electric utility assets of
$300 million or lower will be
exempt from majority voting
requirements associated with
revenue bonds under certain
conditions. Under SB 104,
sunset provisions for multiple
sales and use tax exemptions
will be removed.
Sen. Chuck Payne repre
sents the 54th Senate District
which includes Whitfield and
Murray counties and parts of
Gordon and Pickens Coun
ties. He may be reached at
404.463.5402 or by email at
chuck.payne@senate.ga.gov.
Family Matters
Intrusive grandparents
and boundary issues
By Mary Migliaro
Parent Mentor
Everyone knows that a
grandparent’s job is to spoil
their grandchildren, right?
That works best if the grand-
kids are taken out to spend a
fun day with their grandpar
ents, but when everyone is
living together or grandpar
ents radically change their re
sponse to the parents’ rales or
norms, that is when trouble
can bloom.
The core issue is usually
boundaries. The parents have
one set of rales for the kids
and the grandparents often
ignore or overrale those
boundaries. As with any issue
among family members, it is
best to deal with it as it
comes and not ignore it hop
ing it will stop or go away. It
is also best to deal with it out
of the presence of the
kids/grandkids and when you
are not “in the moment” and
everyone can have a rational
discussion about the issue.
An example might be that
the parents are trying to get
their kids to eat healthy
meals, but the grandparents
want to “treat” the grandkids
to fast food and they bring it
to the kids. Usually the
grandparents will honor the
request of the parents when
they realize that they are try
ing to raise the kids to be
healthy.
One conversation may
“nip it in the bud” but then
again, it may not. If it repeats,
simply have the discussion
again. Perhaps everyone can
work together to make a
healthy meal at home and use
the event to reinforce healthy
eating and preparing healthy
foods.
Grandparents must re
member that they are not the
parents and their role should
be to support the parents in
raising the grandchildren.
Here are some tips for grand
parents when they find them
selves with these types of
boundary issues.
• Refrain from making
parenting decisions. Grand
parents should stay out of de
cisions like TV watching,
homework, potty training,
etc. The parents must have
control of these important is
sues.
• Apologize and admit
your wrongdoing. If you
cross a boundary, admit it,
and apologize. You might
slip up occasionally, but
apologizing will help keep
the peace and reinforce your
respect for the parents’ roles.
• Refrain from offering
unsolicited advice. It is easy
to play the “armchair quarter
back” and put your advice
out there when no one has
asked. Unless something
truly egregious is occurring,
keep your advice to yourself.
• Ask permission first. It
may seem odd to have to do
this, but it serves several pur
poses. First, it tells the parent
you respect their role as par
ent but most importantly, it
will avoid larger issues or
hurt feelings. You may have
the best of intentions bring
ing home the child’s birthday
cake, but mom was going to
make one instead. If permis
sion is requested first, it will
eliminate those issues.
• Don’t criticize. Some
times grandparents get of
fended by a parent overruling
something they did and are
tempted to criticize the par
ent. This is often done in the
presence of the kids which
undermines the role of the
parent and serves no real pur
pose except to confuse the
children and create hurt feel
ings all around.
• Don’t get caught in the
middle. Children are quite
good at developing methods
for getting their own way and
sometimes will pit the parent
against the grandparent (just
as they do between parents).
“But grandma told me I
could do it.” If the grandchild
is complaining to you about
something the parent did,
show empathy and redirect
the grandchild back to the
parent so they can resolve the
issue.
By applying some simple
strategies consistently, par
ents and grandparents can
honor each other’s roles and
ensure the kids will benefit
from all their relationships.
[Mary Migliaro, M.Ed. is
an educator and Parent Men
tor. She may be contacted at
maiymigliaro@aol.com.]
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