WASHINGTON, DC — Georgia Patient Advocates visited their members of Congress this week to share their experiences with high drug prices and urge their elected officials to support bipartisan legislation that would provide relief from skyrocketing drug prices. Nearly one in three Americans report not taking their prescription drugs due to costs. This is why the patient advocates asked Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue to stand with patients and President Trump in support of the Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act (S. 2543). The bill would stop drug company price gouging and cap out-of-pocket costs for seniors.
“Georgia’s senators have a real opportunity to stand up for patients and lower drug prices,” said David Mitchell, a cancer patient and the founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “Their support for one of the President’s top priorities would make a difference for thousands of Georgia residents and millions of Americans struggling with unrestrained prescription drug price hikes.”
GEORGIA PATIENT ADVOCATES:
Patricia McKenzie, 65, Atlanta, diabetes: “I’ve paid more than $1,300 per month for my insulin and diabetes supplies. It has meant I have to cut back on things I love to do and that I have trouble affording the healthy food I need to help manage my diabetes.”
Donna Renfroe, 58, Atlanta, acid reflux and high cholesterol: “I am a patient who will continue to face the life-altering symptoms of my conditions, and I wish I could afford the medicines that made my quality of life so much better.”
Maria Sanchez, 61, Atlanta, diabetes: “In order to be able to pay for all of my medication I often skip out on buying my diabetic strips. I only check my blood sugar in the morning, which can be very dangerous to my health.”
Scarlett Woodard, 57, Albany, multiple sclerosis: “If I were able to afford Lyrica, I would enjoy the taste of food and be able to smile again.”
BACKGROUND
- Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) introduced the bipartisan Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act in July 2019.
- The bill would penalize drug companies for price hikes above inflation and cap out-of-pocket costs for seniors on Medicare at $3,100 per year.
- President Trump and bipartisan lawmakers support the bill, which passed the Senate Finance Committee in July.
- The bill could be included in a health extenders package with a deadline of May 22, 2020.
ABOUT
Patients For Affordable Drugs Now is a bipartisan 501(c)(4) national patient organization focused exclusively on policies to lower drug prices. To maintain its independence, the group does not accept donations from organizations that profit from the development and distribution of prescription drugs.
Earlier this week, the organization announced a multi-million dollar campaign calling on the Senate to stand with patients and the President to pass the Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act (S. 2543). As part of the campaign set to run until late May, Patients For Affordable Drugs Now will release TV, radio, and digital advertisements nationally and in key states that demonstrate the toll high prescription drug prices are taking on everyday Americans.