The Maine Senate has passed a series of bills known as the "Making Heath Care Work For Maine" package aimed at reducing the cost of health care and prescription drugs.“The cost of lifesaving medication or treatment should never be or even feel like a death sentence. Yet, I know that this is the reality for too many Maine families and seniors,” said Senate President Troy Jackson.One bill, LD 120, would create the Office of Affordable Health Care, an independent, nonpartisan agency that would analyze Maine health data and make policy recommendations to lawmakers.Another bill, LD 1117, targets price gouging when it comes to prescription drugs. It would ban excessive price increases for generic and off-patent prescription drugs sold in Maine and require investigations by the Attorney General. Supporters of the bill say between September and December of 2019, 53 generic drugs hit the price increase threshold, impacting nearly 25,000 Mainers. The total cost for these price increases was approximately $3.4 million.The third bill in the package, LD 686, would make information collected by the state from drug manufacturers available to the public. A push to create an insulin safety net program is also moving forward. The bill, LD 673, would make an emergency 30-day supply of insulin available to eligible Mainers at any pharmacy for less that $35. The cost of insulin has skyrocketed in recent years, forcing some people to skip doses or ration what they have. The program would be funded by insulin manufacturers by requiring them to register with the state. The final bill in the package is LD 675, which would prohibit pharmaceutical companies from raising the cost of their drugs where there is no evidence to support the increase. Drug companies found in violation of the law would be fined by the State Treasurer based on information provided from the Prescription Drug Affordability Board. All five bills now go to the House for additional votes.