BANGOR — Big Pharma is furiously lobbying Washington to protect its profits, but Rep. Jared Golden is fighting for patients as he works to lower drug prices. That’s why today, Patients For Affordable Drugs Now launched a six-figure campaign to thank Rep. Golden for his leadership in the fight to lower drug prices. The average American pays two to three times more for prescription drugs than other wealthy countries.
Watch the ads: “Jackie,” and “Gail.”
Rep. Golden is a cosponsor of H.R. 3 — a bill that would let Medicare negotiate directly with drug companies and make lower prices available to all Americans — regardless of insurance type. The legislation would penalize drug companies if they charge Americans more than they charge in other countries. It would limit drug price increases to the rate of inflation and cap out-of-pocket costs for seniors in Medicare at $2,000 per year. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says the bill would reduce the cost of the most expensive drugs by as much as 55%.
“Mainers are being crushed by high drug prices, and Rep. Golden is fighting back,” said David Mitchell, a cancer patient and the founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “We want to send a message to voters in Maine-02: Big Pharma is spreading scare tactics and lies, but Rep. Golden is standing up for patients.”
As part of the campaign, Patients For Affordable Drugs Now will release a slew of digital ads that show the toll high prescription drug prices are taking on everyday Americans, offer a suite of tools that encourage Americans to contact their representatives in support of lowering drug prices, and share stories of patients suffering under prescription drug prices on social media.
These ads come on the heels of a campaign in August, in which Patients For Affordable Drugs Now thanked GOP Senators who supported the Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2019.
Americans overwhelmingly support action to lower drug prices. Eighty-six percent of Americans — majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents — support allowing Medicare to negotiate. Americans pay twice as much for prescription drugs as other nations, and nearly 1 in 3 adults report not taking their medicines as prescribed due to cost.
The mission of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now is to educate the public and mobilize patients to advocate for policies to curb runaway drug prices in America. Touted by The Hill as “a leading drug pricing advocacy group,” Patients For Affordable Drugs Now is a bipartisan non-profit organization established under Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Service code. As a 501(c)(4), P4ADNow engages in electoral activity and direct advocacy in support of legislation that would lower drug prices.
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