Research Assistant Professor and CHOICE Faculty Fellow, Douglas Barthold, PhD was appointed by Governor Jay Inslee to serve on the Washington State Prescription Drug Affordability Board (PDAB). Authorized under Senate Bill 5532, this five-member board is tasked with analyzing data to review price and cost growth of prescription drugs and set upper limits for drugs that may lead to significant excess cost. Dr. Barthold will bring expertise in health economics and outcomes research, with specific attention to analyses of healthcare costs, and to the effectiveness of state policies that affect out-of-pocket costs for patients. This appointment synergizes well with his research agenda, which aims to use health policies to improve chronic condition management and healthy aging.
PDAB is tasked with the following duties:
- Identify drugs that may be subject to an affordability review
- Conduct affordability reviews on selected eligible drugs
- Determine whether a prescription drug is unaffordable for Washington consumers
- If a drug is found to be unaffordable, the Board may set an upper payment limit.
Learn more about the board here.
Dr. Barthold’s faculty profile.