--- title: We Don’t Need Another Study. We Need Transformation. description: Louisiana’s SB 401 creates a drug board to study costs—but won’t lower what patients pay. We don’t need more studies. We need real solutions. image: https://www.patientsrising.org/hubfs/2026-SB%20401%20Louisiana.png --- [![Patients Rising](https://www.patientsrising.org/hs-fs/hubfs/raw_assets/public/PatientsRising-u4m/templates/images/patients_rising_logo.png?width=120&height=900&name=patients_rising_logo.png "Patients Rising")](https://www.patientsrising.org/) - Policy Center - - [Policy Framework ](https://www.patientsrising.org/policy) - [Affordability ](https://www.patientsrising.org/policy/affordability) - [Accountability ](https://www.patientsrising.org/policy/accountability) - [Innovation ](https://www.patientsrising.org/policy/innovation) - [Federal Healthcare Policy ](https://www.patientsrising.org/policy/federal) - [Learning Center ](https://www.patientlearningcenter.org/) - - [LEAD Education ](https://www.patientlearningcenter.org/lead) - [Our Community ](https://www.patientsrising.org/our-community) - [Patient Senate ](https://www.patientsrising.org/patient-senate) - Insights - - [All Posts ](https://www.patientsrising.org/advocacy-updates) - [PR Magazine ](https://www.patientsrising.org/pr-magazine) - [Patient Stories ](https://www.patientsrising.org/advocacy-updates/tag/patient-stories) - [Medical Bankruptcy in America ](https://www.patientsrising.org/medical-bankruptcy-america) - [State of the Patient Podcast ](https://www.patientsrising.org/state-of-the-patient-podcast) - Get Involved - - [Share Your Story ](https://www.patientsrising.org/storyshare) - [Become an Advocate ](https://www.patientsrising.org/become-an-advocate) - [Join the Patient Senate ](https://www.patientsrising.org/patient-senate) - [Join Our Community ](https://www.patientsrising.org/community) - [Events ](https://www.patientsrising.org/events) - - [State of the Patient Summit & Rise Awards ](https://www.patientsrising.org/events/summit-and-rise-awards) - [Advocacy Fly-ins ](https://www.patientsrising.org/patients-rising-fly-in) - [Virtual Lunch n' Learns ](https://www.patientsrising.org/events) - Virtual Town Halls - About Us - - [Our Mission ](https://www.patientsrising.org/about-patients-rising) - [Our Principles ](https://www.patientsrising.org/patients-rising-principles) - [Our Team ](https://www.patientsrising.org/team) - [Our Board of Directors ](https://www.patientsrising.org/board) - [Our Advisory Councils ](https://www.patientsrising.org/advisory-council) - [Partners and Coalitions ](https://www.patientsrising.org/partners) - Corporate Partnerships - [Funding & Financial Reports ](https://www.patientsrising.org/financial-transparency) [Donate ](https://patientsrising.org/?form=support-patientsrising) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. [State Policy](https://www.patientsrising.org/advocacy-updates/tag/state-policy) [PDAB](https://www.patientsrising.org/advocacy-updates/tag/pdab) [Louisiana](https://www.patientsrising.org/advocacy-updates/tag/louisiana) Apr 14, 2026 We Don’t Need Another Study. We Need Transformation. ![https://6015202.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/6015202/Favicon.webp](https://www.patientsrising.org/hubfs/Favicon.webp) Written by [Patients Rising Staff](https://www.patientsrising.org/advocacy-updates/author/patients-rising-staff) SHARE Link copied!   We Don’t Need Another Study. We Need Transformation. 4:51 ### **Louisiana, We Already Know the Problem** We know prescription drugs are too expensive. We know our out-of-pocket costs keep climbing. And we know the healthcare system feels like a maze that’s rigged against us. What we don’t need is another government board to study it. That’s exactly what [Senate Bill 401](https://legiscan.com/LA/text/SB401/2026) creates: a new [Prescription Drug Affordability Board (PDAB)](https://www.patientsrising.org/policy/pdabs). It builds another layer of government inside the Department of Insurance to collect pricing data, require more reports from drug companies, and publish annual studies on why drugs cost so much. Patients aren’t asking for more studies. We’re asking for relief. ### **A System That Studies Itself Instead of Fixing Itself** SB 401 assumes the biggest barrier to affordable medicine is a lack of information. It isn’t. The real barriers are the ones patients feel every single month: - Insurance plans that keep shifting more costs onto us - Middlemen who add layers of profit without adding value - Providers and hospitals whose prices have little connection to patient outcomes - Limited access to lower-cost options that could work just as well None of these problems are addressed in SB 401. It does not touch pharmacy benefit managers. It does not reform health plans. It does not change what patients actually pay at the pharmacy counter. Instead, it focuses almost entirely on drug manufacturers by adding new reporting requirements and regulatory pressure while leaving the rest of the system untouched. Instead, it focuses almost entirely on drug manufacturers by adding new reporting requirements and regulatory pressure, while leaving the rest of the system untouched. That would make sense **if drug manufacturers controlled what patients pay at the pharmacy counter.** But they don’t. What patients actually pay is shaped by insurance design, pharmacy benefit managers, rebates, formularies, and cost-sharing structures that this bill does not address. So while SB 401 collects more data from one part of the system, it still fails to capture the full picture and does nothing to change what patients experience when they go to fill a prescription. That’s not reform. That’s misdirection. ### **This Is a Costly Detour, Not a Solution** Boards like this sound like action. In practice, they usually mean: - More bureaucracy - More compliance and reporting requirements - More studies that never reach the patient They also send a clear signal to innovators and employers: Louisiana is moving toward a more restrictive, government-driven approach to healthcare. Even at this early stage, that matters. Because these boards are often the first step toward price-setting policies. And when government starts setting prices, the consequences are predictable. Less investment, fewer treatment options, and harder choices for patients who rely on access to new therapies. We’re already seeing this dynamic play out at the federal level. More process. More politics. No relief for patients. ### **What Patients Actually Need** We don’t need another report telling us healthcare is expensive. We need a system that works for patients, not around them. That means focusing on what actually drives costs: - What patients pay at the pharmacy counter and doctor’s office - How insurance design shifts costs onto families - The role of pharmacy benefit managers and opaque rebate systems - Real competition and access to lower-cost care options SB 401 does none of this. It does not lower out-of-pocket costs. It does not improve access. It does not make the system easier to navigate. That’s not transformation. That’s delay. ### **The Bottom Line** SB 401 creates the appearance of action. But for Louisiana families struggling to afford their medications right now, it changes nothing. **Patients don’t experience policy. They experience the consequences of it.** We don’t need another board studying the problem. We are already living the problem every day. **It’s time to stop studying it and start fixing it. Patients are ready to step forward, share their stories, and be part of the solution.** --- ### **Turn Frustration Into Action** Patients don’t experience policy. They experience the consequences of it. And right now, too many patients are being asked to wait while the system studies problems we already understand. **It’s time to change that.** Patients are ready to bring their stories, their experiences, and their voices to the table—and demand solutions that actually lower costs and improve access. 👉 [**Share your story**](https://www.patientsrising.org/share-your-story) 👉 [**Join the Patients Rising community**](https://www.patientsrising.org/community) 👉 [**Learn how to advocate through our LEAD program**](https://www.patientsrising.org/advocacy-course) You don’t have to navigate this system alone. **Together, we can stop studying the problem—and start fixing it.** Tags: [State Policy](https://www.patientsrising.org/advocacy-updates/tag/state-policy) [PDAB](https://www.patientsrising.org/advocacy-updates/tag/pdab) [Louisiana](https://www.patientsrising.org/advocacy-updates/tag/louisiana) ## Related Posts [View All News ](https://www.patientsrising.org/advocacy-updates) [340B](https://www.patientsrising.org/advocacy-updates/tag/340b) Jul 12, 2026 [$92,350 Medical Debt in Louisiana Bankruptcy | North Oaks Case](https://www.patientsrising.org/advocacy-updates/medical-bankruptcy-louisiana-92350-north-oaks-debt) [Read More ](https://www.patientsrising.org/advocacy-updates/medical-bankruptcy-louisiana-92350-north-oaks-debt) [State Policy](https://www.patientsrising.org/advocacy-updates/tag/state-policy) Jun 11, 2026 [Partner Spotlight: AdvaMed's 10 State Legislative Wins](https://www.patientsrising.org/advocacy-updates/partner-spotlight-advamed-2026-legislative-wins) [Read More ](https://www.patientsrising.org/advocacy-updates/partner-spotlight-advamed-2026-legislative-wins) [340B](https://www.patientsrising.org/advocacy-updates/tag/340b) Jun 02, 2026 [What 130 Louisiana Bankruptcy Filings Reveal | 340B Hospital Debt](https://www.patientsrising.org/advocacy-updates/medical-bankruptcy-louisiana-130-filings-340b) [Read More ](https://www.patientsrising.org/advocacy-updates/medical-bankruptcy-louisiana-130-filings-340b) ## Get Updates In Your Inbox Sign up for updates about our patient education, support and advocacy programs and initiatives. 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