This is terrible.
Wouldn't there be other good ways to ensure everyone has access? Eliminate the need for a prescription for instance? How does one go about doing that?
The CNN video that plays at this links says their margins were 9% in 2007 when the bought the drug and 55% in 2014.
http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/25/investing/epipen-cost-ceo-lo...
Any business with 55% margin is a nice business to be in.
It's also kind of scandalous that they've designed a method to reach around the insurance companies. I don't think drug companies should be allowed to offer consumers rebates that make them more likely to utilize their insurance. When they start from a high price, it's an accounting trick that doesn't cost the company anything. If a company so strongly believes they've miss-priced their product, they can simply reduce the price.
Going around the insurance companies is pretty insane, especially because there are multiple types of customers: individuals, schools, hospitals, etc. Should an individual get money back, but not a school? It's not like public schools have a bunch of cash lying around.
There's only 900 public schools though, so it's hard to construe lobbying for the laws as a meaningful expansion of their market.