22 THE QUEENS COURIER • AUGUST 22, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
New Yorkers Need Relief from Rx Greed
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There’s not a lot Congress
agrees on these
days, but the need to reduce
soaring prescription
drug prices is one
imperative representatives
of both parties support.
And for good reason;
Americans pay the highest
brand name drug
prices in the world.
So when Congress returns
from its August recess,
it’s time for action.
As part of its nationwide
#StopRxGreed campaign,
AARP is advocating
to:
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negotiate lower drug
prices – as the Veterans
Administration already
does, at substantial savings,
and as a recent national
poll shows voters
50 and older of all stripes
support (95% of independents,
93% of Republicans
and 90% of Democrats),
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of pocket prescription
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D,
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creases to no more than
inflation.
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sive generics to market,
by among other things
banning so-called “pay
to delay” deals in which
drug makers actually
pay generic manufacturers
to keep their cheaper
version of drugs off the
shelves – for 17 months
on average.
Big Pharma has
raised drug prices more
than inflation every year
for decades, and prescriptions
are getting
harder and harder to afford.
The average annual
cost of brand name prescription
drug treatment
grew more than five
times the average annual
New Yorker’s income between
2012 and 2017 - 58%
vs. 11.5%. And it hasn’t
let up; the average drug
price increased 10.5% in
the first six months of
2019 - five times the rate
of inflation.
Insulin is a prime example.
The cost of the drug
on which people with diabetes
rely nearly tripled
from 2002 to 2013. And it’s
not like insulin is new;
it was invented almost a
century ago. The problem:
drug companies make
small changes so they can
extend their patent protections
and manipulate the
system.
Some patients desperate
for insulin go to Canada
– where prescription
drugs are much cheaper -
while others actually risk
their lives by rationing or
skipping doses.
Your prescriptions
won’t work if you can’t afford
them.
We’re all affected by
skyrocketing drug prices,
through higher insurance
premiums and the taxes we
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ment health care programs
for older and poor/disabled
Americans.
Older Americans are
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care Part D enrollees take
an average of 4.5 prescriptions
per month and struggle
to pay for them on a median
annual income of just
$26,000.
A 2019 national AARP
survey of voters age 50 and
older found nearly 40%
did not fill a prescription,
mainly because of cost.
Congress needs to
stand up to the pharmaceutical
industry, which is
fighting tooth and nail to
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cently sued the Trump administration
to keep the
list prices of their drugs
secret. The industry is
spending record amounts
on Washington lobbyists
and running ads claiming
more affordable drugs
would actually harm consumers.
States can act too. So
far this year, 29 states have
passed 47 new laws aimed
at lowering prescription
drug costs, according to
the National Academy for
State Health Policy. New
York could – and should -
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islature passed a bill to
prohibit out-of-pocket prescription
cost increases
on health plan enrollees
in the middle of a contract
year, and AARP is urging
Governor Andrew Cuomo
to sign the bill when it
reaches his desk.
In Washington, fighting
high drug prices has engendered
rare, bipartisan
agreement that something
should be done. New York’s
congressional delegation is
in a position to lead on this
issue and make a difference.
Now is the time.
– Chris Widelo is
AARP’s Associate State Director
for New York City
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