TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | APRIL 8-14, 2022
17
SENATOR GILLIBRAND ANNOUNCES NEW PLAN TO SLASH
PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICES DURING VISIT TO FLUSHING
BY ANNA DONCH
Schneps Media is pleased to welcome Emmy
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Hanson brings over 30 years of experience to the
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Hanson worked previously as primary anchor
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“I’m excited to join the Schneps Media team as
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BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
As pharmaceutical companies
have implemented drug price increases
on hundreds of prescription
medications, Senator Kirsten
Gillibrand announced her policy
package to lower the cost of drug
prices during a press conference at
the Korean Community Services
of Metropolitan New York (KCS) in
Flushing on Monday, March 28.
Gillibrand was joined by
Queens Congresswoman Grace
Meng, Councilwoman Linda Lee,
Ravi Reddi, associate director of
Advocacy and Policy at the Asian
American Federation (AAF), and
Myoungmi Kim, president and
CEO of KCS, for a tour of the facility,
located at 42-15 166th St.
According to Gillibrand, the
increased prices are on top of already
high costs that New Yorkers
already face today.
“When you go to the pharmacy,
you can be charged two to three
times as much as people in other
countries for the exact same medicine,”
said Gillibrand, who is a
member of the Aging Committee.
“Health care is a human right, not
a privilege. But right now, lifesaving
medicine is only lifesaving if
you can afford it, and this has to
change.”
Gillibrand sent a letter to congressional
leadership calling for
comprehensive action on reducing
the cost of drugs and introduced
her plan, “Gillibrand’s Prescription
for Lower Drug Prices” that
includes five core bills:
Reimagine financial
assistance for Medicare: A bill
to create the Medicare Cost Assistance
Program, a new, streamlined
program to provide assistance with
Medicare Part A and Part B premiums
and cost-sharing for lowincome
individuals. This would
reimagine financial assistance for
Medicare Part A, Part B and Part D.
The legislation would also expand
and streamline the administration
of the Extra Help program to
provide premium and cost-sharing
assistance to eligible low-income
individuals with Medicare Part D.
Review brand-name price
gouging: A bill that would level the
market for Americans purchasing
prescription drugs by pegging the
price in the United States to the
median price in Canada, the United
Kingdom, France, Germany and
Japan.
Empower Medicare to negotiate
drug prices: A bill would
direct the secretary of Health and
Human Services to negotiate lower
prices for prescription drugs under
Medicare Part D.
Import lower-cost drugs from
Canada: A bill to allow patients,
pharmacists and wholesalers to import
safe, affordable medicine from
Canada and other major countries.
Expand subsidies to seniors
living in U.S. territories: A bill
that would make Medicare beneficiaries
in U.S. territories, such as
Puerto Rico, eligible for the Medicare
Part D Low Income Subsidy
program. Under current law, lowincome
Medicare beneficiaries in
Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories
are ineligible for Medicare
Part D subsidies. This program,
known as “Extra Help,” provides
federal subsidies to help low-income
seniors with their monthly
premiums and other out-of-pocket
prescription drug costs.
According to Gillibrand, 30%
of adults are not taking their medication
as prescribed due to rising
costs. The issue, Gillibrand says,
weighs heavily on seniors.
“Nearly 9 in 10 older adults take
prescription medication and 1 in 4
of those seniors say it’s too difficult
to afford them. Even with help from
Medicare, the portion of prescription
drug costs that older adults are
responsible for, can be overwhelming
on a fixed income,” Gillibrand
said. “Medicare is facing rising
costs as well.”
Lee, Meng, Reddi and Kim applauded
Gillibrand’s efforts.
Lee, who previously worked as
the president and CEO of KCS, said
that seniors, particularly those in
the Asian American and Pacific
Islander (AAPI) communities,
struggle not only with the cost of
Medicare and prescription drugs
but also accessing those programs
to begin with.
“Senator Gillibrand’s bill will
help to rein in out-of-control price
gouging by the pharmaceutical industry,
make the U.S. prescription
drug market more competitive, and
make it easier for low-income Medicare
recipients to receive the assistance
they need without having to
navigate a complex bureaucracy
full of red tape,” said Lee.
As they continue to fight for the
passage of legislation that will ease
the burden for so many Americans,
Meng said drug prices are simply
too high for families to afford.
Read more on PoliticsNY.com.
Queens Congresswoman Grace Meng (l.) joins Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
at the Korean Community Services Center (KCS) in Flushing.
Photo by Carlotta Mohamed
Schneps Media welcomes Jane Hanson
as host of 2022 Meet the Candidates
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