HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — A proposed bill in the Connecticut Senate hopes to make prescription medication more affordable.

“When I go to the pharmacy to pick up medication, so many times I’ve watched people ahead of me in line, working with the pharmacist, trying to figure out a way to afford and pick up their medication,” said Dr. Deidre Gifford with the Connecticut Office of Health Strategy.

Senate Bill 10 also works to increase transparency around the cost of health care.

“It really is getting to a crisis point where people are just not able to afford the health care they need,” Gifford said.

If passed, the bill would take some of the provisions of 2022’s federal Inflation Reduction Act, which allows Medicare to negotiate prices of the 10 most expensive medications, and pass on those lower prices to all Connecticut residents.

“We hear from folks all the time who are cutting pills in half because they can’t afford to fill an entire prescription,” said Anna Doroghazi with AARP Connecticut. “Or, folks who have decided that they would rather be in pain than pay what it’s going to cost to take their prescription medication.”