Dear
Editor,
Thousands
of Mainers take prescription drugs. For many, prescription drugs represent
the only defense they have against crippling pain. For others,
prescription medications are a lifeline in their fight against serious
conditions like heart disease, cancer and diabetes Americans pay the
highest prices in the world for their prescription drugs, and the ill effects
cannot be overstated.
In
February, seven pharmaceutical company CEOs testified before the US Senate
Finance Committee. They deftly shifted blame to the “system” and failed to
answer important questions such as why Americans pay the highest prices in the
world for their prescription drugs. They all agreed that their companies spend
more on advertising and administration than they do on research and drug
development. One CEO couldn’t answer why some medications cost 40% less in
other countries than here in the United States. It is time for Congress
to push for real answers, and to insist upon long-term solutions.
AARP’s
Public Policy Institute periodically publishes reports which examine
prescription drug pricing trends. The latest report, “Rx Price Watch
Report: Trends in Retail Prices of Prescription Drugs Widely Used by Older
Americans: 2017 Year-End Update,” revealed a startling fact: The retail prices
of some of the most popular medications older Americans take to treat
everything from diabetes to high blood pressure to asthma increased by an
average of 8.4 percent in 2017. This rate of increase is four times the rate of
inflation.
However,
some medication prices have risen at a much steeper rate. AARP’s study found,
for example, that in 2017, the retail price of the popular brand-name drug
Lyrica, which is used to treat fibromyalgia, increased by 19.3 percent; the
price of Benicar, a widely used medicine for high blood pressure, increased by
17.8 percent.
If
you currently have health insurance coverage, you may be one of the lucky ones
who only has a co-pay for your medications. However, the enormous increase in
drug costs ultimately affects you in the form of higher insurance deductibles
and premiums. At the end of the day, we all pay.
The
truth is that drug companies make billions in profits from older adults and
hardworking Americans each year. No one should have to choose between food and
medicine, but some Mainers are doing just that.
In
recent weeks, Mainers have shared stories with AARP Maine about their struggles
to pay for their medications. A husband in Lyman counts on his life-saving
EpiPen to be effective even though it expired three years ago. He cannot
afford the $425 to replace it. A 72-year old retired nurse in Lebanon
rations her meals and sometimes cuts the doses of the drugs she needs to treat
her lung and liver disease. A 62-year old in Ellsworth spends almost ten percent
of his income on multiple drugs to treat his heart condition. Sadly, these
are just three of thousands of examples of Mainers whose lives depend on
medications they simply cannot afford.
Several
Maine legislators have introduced bills to confront the issue. Senate
President Troy Jackson (D-Allagash) has introduced multiple bills (LR 972, LR
973 and LR 1463) which focus on improved access through safe drug importation,
and affordability through the creation of a Prescription Drug Affordability
Board to broadly examine drug pricing. Senator Eloise Vitelli (D-Arrowsic) has
introduced LR 786 which requires greater disclosure of drug production,
research, advertising and development costs.
The
tens of billions of dollars drug companies spend on advertising each year is
shameful and results in drugs being more expensive. Drugs don’t work if
people can’t afford them. As Maine leaders start to address this critical
issue, we urge Congress to do the same. Please visit action.aarp.org/rx to
learn more about AARP’s Rx advocacy work and to make your voice heard.
The
time has come for Congress to take action against the skyrocketing costs of
prescription medications. Drug companies must be kept from overcharging
older Mainers and their families for the medications they need to stay
healthy. People of all ages depend on prescription medications, and unfair
prices are putting them out of reach. Congress and state governments must come
together to pass bipartisan legislation to lower prescription medication prices
now. It’s time to Stop Rx Greed.
Dr.
Lori K. Parham
AARP
Maine State Director
Portland
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