California voters reject proposal to limit drug prices

Voters rejected California's controversial drug price measure, putting an end to an expensive ballot initiative that sought to appeal to a public increasingly frustrated by high drug prices. The measure, Proposition 61, was rejected by 54% of voters or 4.6 million Californians. The law sought to lower drug costs by requiring state agencies to pay no more than prices negotiated by the U.S. Veterans Affairs Department. The VA's discounts range from 24% to 40%. More than $125 million combined was spent by opponents and supporters of Proposition 61, making it one of California's most expensive ballot initiatives. The pharmaceutical industry raised much of the $109 million spent in a campaign to challenge the measure. Supporters raised slightly more than $16 million. The measure had the support of local and national medical professional associations and Hillary Clinton's populist primary challenger, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. The law would have benefited state agencies that pay for drugs whether or not they're the direct purchaser. That includes California's Medi-Cal fee-for-service outpatient drug program and its AIDS Drug Assistance Program. But it excluded Medi-Cal managed-care plans, which cover about 75% of the state's Medicaid population. Healthcare providers and even some patient advocates were concerned that the law would lead to higher drug prices and less access to medications. Opponents included the California Medical Association, California Association of Rural Health Clinics, California Association of Neurological Surgeons and several veterans groups.

—Maria Castellucci

Colorado voters last week overwhelmingly rejected a measure to create a universal healthcare system that would finance services for most state residents. The Bernie Sanders-backed measure, Amendment 69, garnered barely more than 20% of the vote. It required a simple majority vote to pass. Despite the outcome, which was largely expected, supporters of ColoradoCare still considered the push for universal healthcare somewhat of a success. “Win or lose, the issue of guaranteed access to healthcare for everyone without financial barriers was finally brought before the voters,” state Sen. Irene Aguilar, who has spearheaded ColoradoCare, told supporters Nov. 8. “Obviously, we wish we had done better,” said Lyn Gullette, director of operations for the campaign behind the ballot initiative. At the same time, “There's no way we're going to stop working,” she said. The initiative would have established a universal system to finance healthcare services for most Colorado residents under a federal waiver available to states under the Affordable Care Act. It would be funded by payroll taxes rather than insurance premiums, and beneficiaries would have no deductibles and no copays for preventive and primary care. Supporters have been trying for a decade to bring the plan to the statewide ballot, but efforts, most recently led by Aguilar, never got any traction. But this time around, the plan's supporters collected more than 150,000 signatures to bring the plan before voters directly on the Nov. 8 ballot.

—Shelby Livingston