Sen. Lesser Celebrates Signing of Prescription Drug Task Force Bill

HARTFORD –  Today, State Senator Matt Lesser (D-Middletown), Senate Chair of the Human Services Committee, joined as Governor Lamont signed into law several of the recommendations of the bipartisan, bicameral Prescription Drug Task Force.

The task force was chaired by Senator Lesser, State Representative Jillian Gilchrest (D-West Hartford), State Senator Jeff Gordon (R-Woodstock) and State Representative Tracy Marra (R-Darien) and brought together a bipartisan coalition of legislators, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, experts from the pharmaceutical industry, advocates and patients to determine a legislative solution to protecting and expanding patient care.

The provisions in the bill include:

-Directing the Department of Social Services (DSS) to work with federal partners to seek generic production of name-brand GLP-1 weight loss drugs like Mounjaro and Wegovy

-Establishing a program to import safe, low cost drugs from Canada

-Establishing a duty of good faith and fair dealing for Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBM) to act in the best interest of the health carrier or other health benefit plan sponsor, and requires disclosure to the insurance department of pricing and profits when one parent company owns a PBM, insurer and/or pharmacy

-Disclosing any conflict of interest to a plan sponsor that might keep a PBM from fulfilling its duty of good faith and fair dealing

-Directing the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) to to address supply chain issues by moving production to Connecticut

-Ensuring that drug costs be credited against a patient’s deductible, even if the drug is outside of the plan’s preferred drug list or purchased for cash

-Directing the state to engage in bulk purchasing of drugs and piggyback off federal Medicare negotiated prices in purchasing

-Requiring PBMs to offer plan sponsors the option of participating in a pass-through pricing model that prevents the PBM from charging more for a prescription than was paid to the dispensing pharmacy, protecting community pharmacies from monopolistic market pressure

-Creating a task force to study drug shortages, strengthening the supply chain and producing vital medication in Connecticut

The provision allowing DSS to work with the federal Department of Health and Human Services to seek generic production of name-brand GLP-1 weight loss drugs like Mounjaro and Wegovy is the first of its nature and could be a significant disruptor in the prescription drug market.

The report in its entirety can be found here.

“This is landmark legislation,” said Sen. Lesser. “It’s remarkable for anything to be bipartisan these days. But Connecticut has now passed the strongest, most forward-thinking prescription drug legislation in the country with overwhelming bipartisan support. I’m deeply grateful to my colleagues, particularly to my co-chairs on the task force, and to Governor Lamont for signing this into law. I look forward to working together with our state and federal partners to deliver meaningful relief for patients.”

Sen. Lesser Expresses Concern over Connecticut Children’s New Gender Care Policy

HARTFORD – Today, State Senator Matt Lesser, Senate Chair of the Human Services Committee, wrote to James Shmerling, President and CEO of Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in response to news reports that the medical center will be “winding down” gender care for its patients.

The decision comes in response to pressure from the Trump administration amid their continued targeting of the LGBTQ+ community, particularly trans youth.

The letter can be viewed below.

James E. Shmerling
President and CEO
Connecticut Children’s Medical Center Via Email

July 24, 2025

Dear Jim,

I write to express serious concerns and seek clarity about recent media reports that Connecticut Children’s Medical Center has decided to “wind down” medical care for transgender youth.

As the Senate co-chair of the Human Services Committee, I have a responsibility to look after the wellbeing of patients in my district, as well as overall oversight over programs funded by the Department of Social Services including the state’s Medicaid program. As the only standalone children’s hospital in Connecticut, CCMC has a special responsibility to care for its patients and residents in the surrounding region.

I am concerned that your decision endangers your patients, violates established standards of care and, to the extent that your decision discriminates against a class of your patients, violates state law.

Connecticut law is explicit: just this month, Governor Lamont signed into law Public Act 25-154, which passed unanimously through the legislature, which makes it expressly illegal for “any health care provider to knowingly discriminate in the provision of health care services on account of a person’s… gender identity or expression[.]”

Additionally, I have heard from parents of transgender youth in my district who are only learning of this decision from news reports and are terrified of the potential grave consequences your decision could have on the wellbeing of their children.

President Trump has targeted health care providers, seeking to politicize the practice of medicine rather than trust trained medical providers to use their own professional judgements informed by science and standards of care. I recognize that other providers have received a barrage of subpoenas and other interventions from an administration that has expressed political hostility to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights across the board.

You are clearly in a tough position.

However, that fact does not absolve you of responsibility for your decisions nor does it permit you to violate state law.

CCMC has not performed surgeries on youth, nor does it provide medication or hormonal treatment to prepubescent children, and care is provided with parental consent.

So which patients and which treatments are impacted by your decision? How do you intend to protect them from further harm?

How do you intend to communicate with them, given that they are only learning about this decision from the news media?

How do you reconcile this decision with state nondiscrimination law?

Studies have clearly established that transgender youth, who are stigmatized in every corner of our society, are at vastly higher risk of attempting and dying by suicide, and that gender affirming care can reduce that risk.1 Furthermore, your administrative decision appears to contravene the standards of care promulgated by leading professional organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Pediatric Endocrine Society and the Society of Pediatric Psychology. To deny care seemingly violates those standards of care.

I look forward to timely answers to these questions and appreciate your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Matthew Lesser