Despite significant and substantive concerns from patients, Colorado is moving ahead with an untested drug-pricing scheme that puts the health of our state’s rural residents at risk.

In 2021, lawmakers created the Prescription Drug Affordability Board (PDAB) to review drug prices. Eight states have created similar boards in recent years, but only three give bureaucrats the power to cap the price of medicine, and Colorado’s is the closest to implementation. As usual, these experimental schemes make Coloradans the guinea pigs for the rest of the nation.

In August, the PDAB announced the first five drugs it will target. In theory, the board’s goal is to make expensive medicines more accessible. But though that can create great headlines for some politicians, the concern in rural areas is it could impose even more obstacles to access to lifesaving medicines.

The reality is in rural Colorado there isn’t a drug store or medical provider on every corner. Often, getting access to life-saving medication requires long round-trip drives. Any policy that places additional burdens on patients getting the drugs they need has a disproportionately negative impact in less-populated areas.

Here’s how:

Studies found when patients must travel longer distances to get care, they are less likely to stick to their treatment regimens. Increased distance can also be costly. For example, a patient who can’t get care in their area might have to take unpaid time off work, shell out for hotel stays and food, and spend more on gas. According to an analysis from the Colorado Rural Health Center, patients traveling out of their home area for care can expect to spend nearly $600, on average, on these expenses.

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Even those just trying to pick up prescriptions could be hampered by the new PDAB rules. If local pharmacies stop stocking certain drugs because of price controls, patients will have to travel further to get their medication. This would inevitably mean a fall-off in adherence.

The first five drugs treat an array of medical conditions, from autoimmune disorders and rheumatoid arthritis to HIV/AIDS and cystic fibrosis. Thousands of Colorado patients need these treatments to lead healthy and productive lives.

The problem is the program is expected to cap state reimbursement payments to health plans, hospitals and other providers for dispensing drugs. But in Colorado’s rural areas, many health care systems are already on the brink of financial collapse, due to closures and increased expenses. The PDAB price limits make matters worse.

Many providers will face a difficult choice between accepting smaller reimbursements or pulling drugs off their shelves. Others, like the 70% of Colorado’s rural hospitals that already face very challenging financial circumstances, might find the additional strain forces them to close their doors altogether.

Since announcing the five drugs up for price review, the board has held meetings to solicit comments from patients and physicians about how the new policy could affect them. But with public comment limited to two minutes per person, rural residents and providers who seized this opportunity have grown frustrated because it’s not clear their comments are being genuinely taken into consideration.

If the board plows ahead with price caps, the already-precarious state of health care in our rural regions could deteriorate further.

State government can’t brush away these realities as mere inconveniences. Public-health experts stress improved adherence to doctor-prescribed medication is one of the best ways to improve health outcomes, reduce health disparities and avoid hospitalizations.

In short, by giving a governor-appointed board control of drug prices, Colorado has put the health of its rural residents at greater risk. When the PDAB meets for its final time this year in December, it needs to seriously and sincerely consider the impact of its decisions on all Coloradans. Rural patients need and deserve to have access to their medications protected by state government – not hindered by it.

Barb Kirkmeyer, a Republican from Brighton, represents District 23 in the Colorado Senate.