South Carolina Lawmakers Propose Study Committee to Tackle Rising Drug Costs

State legislators are initiating a formal investigation into the surging prices of prescription medications to identify potential state-level solutions for overburdened patients. A newly prefiled bill, Senate Joint Resolution 749, proposes the creation of a specialized joint study committee to evaluate why essential drugs have become increasingly unaffordable.

The committee’s primary objective would be to recommend legislative actions to lower costs, specifically targeting life-saving treatments for chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and dementia.

A major focal point of the proposal is the disparity in insulin pricing. While federal law currently caps insulin costs at $35 per month for Medicare beneficiaries, many South Carolinians with private insurance do not benefit from similar protections.

Unlike several other states, South Carolina does not currently limit insulin copays for private insurance plans. This gap, combined with a reported 50% increase in the median launch price of new drugs between 2022 and 2024, has forced many families to make difficult financial trade-offs to maintain their health.

If the legislation is approved, the study committee will consist of a diverse group of stakeholders, including:

• State Legislators: From both the House and Senate.

• Health Officials: To provide clinical and regulatory perspective.

• Industry Representatives: Including members of the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors.

• Affected Citizens: The committee plans to hold public hearings to record testimony from residents directly impacted by high medication costs.

The group would be tasked with exploring innovative approaches to pharmaceutical pricing and would have until the end of 2026 to submit a final report with specific policy recommendations to the General Assembly.

The bill is currently in the prefiling stage and is expected to be formally introduced when lawmakers return to the State House on January 13, 2026. Proponents hope the committee’s findings will lead to bipartisan reforms that ease the financial pressure on the state’s most vulnerable patients.