NH Prescription Drug Affordability Board asks for modest budget as members cite $6 million in potential savings

The New Hampshire Prescription Drug Affordability Board asked the House Finance Committee on the morning of the committee’s working session to continue its modest operating support while the board develops recommendations to reduce drug spending. "I'm Kirk Williamson, and I am the executive director of the Prescription Drug Affordability Board," Williamson told the panel as he summarized the board’s mission and budget request.

The governor's recommended operating funding for the board totals $256,579 in fiscal 2026 with a small increase projected in fiscal 2027, Williamson said. He told members the board has identified about $6,000,000 in "potential estimated savings" when benchmarking certain state drug spending against newly public Medicare negotiated prices for an initial set of drugs.

That estimate, and the board’s work to develop recommendations and tools for consumers and plan sponsors, is the basis for the board’s request that the legislature continue funding its single full‑time position and modest program support. "Our budget is highly efficient, totals $256,579 in FY '26," Williamson said. He added later that the board is pursuing a "state‑backed pharmacy savings card that would be no cost to the state" and that Connecticut’s similar program produces an average savings of about $240 per prescription in the example cited.

Why it matters: the board analyzes prescription drug spending for state and local public payers and issues policy recommendations aimed at lowering costs for taxpayers, plan sponsors and patients. Committee members pressed the board for more concrete return‑on‑investment estimates because one bill in the Legislature would repeal the board and another would make technical changes to its statutory authorization.

Details of the board’s work and…