Patients React to President Trump’s State of the Union Address
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In response to President Trump’s statements tonight on drug prices, David Mitchell, a cancer patient and the founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now, issued the following statement:
“The President sent a clear signal to Senate leadership that it’s time to pass Chairman Grassley’s bill to stop drug company price gouging. Contrary to the President’s claim, drug prices are not coming down, they continue to go up. The House of Representatives has done its job in passing H.R. 3. It’s time for the Senate to pass legislation that will bring Americans relief from skyrocketing drug prices.”
BACKGROUND:
Drug prices keep rising.
GoodRx: “So far in 2020: 628 drugs have increased by an average of 6.1%.”
CNN: “Drug makers hiked prices on hundreds of medications for 2020.”
Axios: “It may be a new year, but the same drugs are once again subject to the same industry practices.”
Americans keep paying more.
Fiscal Times: “U.S. drug prices were nearly four times higher than average prices compared to similar countries.”
Axios: Americans will be forced to pay 80 percent more for Humira than those in Europe through 2023.
The New York Times: “A government study said Medicare was paying 80 percent more than other advanced industrial countries for some of the most costly physician-administered medicines.”
Patients keep hurting.
Kaiser Family Foundation: Nearly one in four Americans report difficulty affording their prescription drugs.
Insulin rationing deaths reported in 2018 and 2019 include Americans with diabetes who were 21, 24, 27, and 28 years old.
A Kaiser Family Foundation January 2020 poll found that drug pricing is the top health care priority for all Americans — Democrats, Republicans, and Independents in the 2020 election year.
87% of Americans “say it is at least very important that Congress work on lowering prescription drug costs.”
More Americans think it is very important for Congress to address high drug costs than it is to protect pre-existing health conditions, address surprise billing, do more to combat the heroin and opioid epidemic, or address vaping and e-cigarette use among teenagers.
88% of Americans — majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents — support allowing Medicare to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices.
My wife, Patty, passed away from complications from insulin rationing on November 24th, 2019.
When my late wife and I were on private insurance, we were able to easily afford her insulin with low copays. When we switched from private insurance to Medicare, Patty’s insulin was priced at $700 per month, while we were only bringing in $1,500 per month in income. Simply put, we could not afford afford this lifesaving drug for my wife.
Patty’s doctors did their best to provide us with all of the samples they could to help alleviate the cost, and we looked into copay cards and assistance programs, but we didn’t qualify for any of them because of our coverage. Patty was forced to ration her insulin intake. Due to the rationing, Patty’s blood sugars would fluctuate in a life-threatening way. There were multiple times when her blood sugar reached dangerously high levels and we were forced to take her to the emergency room.
I took out a loan in order to pay for Patty’s insulin, but by the time the insulin was in our possession, it was too late. Patty’s liver had suffered so much damage from the rationing that she needed a replacement. There were no replacements available.
My wife of 44 years and the mother of my child passed away on November 24th, 2019. If her drugs were more affordable, she would still be with us today. I wanted to share Patty’s story so that no one else has to go through what my family and I have had to go through. It is time for there to be real change on drug pricing policy.
My name is Edward Hawley. I am 64 years old and am very active in my Portland community. But I live on a fixed income, and I know that there are many others in my position who are facing health care difficulties just like I am. I even moved to Portland to care for my sick and dying sister, who is experiencing difficulties managing her health and the costs associated with it.
I have type 2 diabetes, and I know that this is a condition that plagues the wallets of countless Oregonians. I am lucky to benefit from the VA, so I’ve rarely had to pay for the highest prices of insulin that you hear about on the news. However, I constantly think about and worry for those who do have to face the monthly cost of their insulin. I know how difficult it can be because I once faced paying the out-of-pocket price for my insulin.
When I lived in Arizona, my mail-order shipment of Lantus insulin came late and arrived unrefrigerated. That made the insulin unusable. Because this medicine is necessary for my health, I immediately went to my local pharmacy to replace it –– I didn’t have time to wait for a new mail-order shipment to come in. I was told it would be $250 to purchase that insulin out of pocket.
Who can afford that? I know that I, and other retirees like me, can’t. I was forced to put it on a credit card and pay it back on payments with interest. If this happens again, I simply don’t know what I would do. I don’t have a credit card anymore. I would have to make a decision between purchasing my insulin and purchasing other necessities like groceries. It shouldn’t be this way for patients.
I have heard of patients crossing US borders to get their insulin for much less. The United States should make importation of medicines legal, so that patients can receive their medications without hurting their pocketbooks like I had to.
My name is Janet Schaeffer and my hometown is Grants Pass, Oregon. I have come to love this community throughout my years of being an in-home caregiver in our area. I loved my job and took pride in caring for the elderly. Unfortunately, I had to retire when my health declined.
I have COPD, a progressive lung disease that makes it difficult to breathe. My doctor prescribed me an Anoro Ellipta inhaler to treat my symptoms. When I went to pick it up, I found out that the inhalers retail at about $500 a piece. My insurance covers $300 of it… leaving me with a whopping $200 to pay for out of pocket.
I need this medication, but as a retired woman on social security, I’m living on a fixed income. I can’t afford the $200 price tag, which means I can’t afford my inhaler. That means I can’t breathe well –– which means I can’t work, clean my own house, or garden and cook like I used to. My quality of life has declined immensely because I just can’t afford my medication.
I know there are countless others in our community that are experiencing the same thing. I also know that our lives would be greatly improved if our drug prices were lower, or if we could import our medications from across the border. We have all heard stories of patients crossing borders to get their medication at a fraction of the U.S. Price. It just doesn’t make sense that we are paying so much in comparison to our neighbors. What hurts me the most is thinking about the countless patients with diabetes, cancer, and chronic illnesses who are facing extreme costs for their medication just like I am. We need relief now.
My name is Terry Sissel, and I am a mother and a retired nurse. Last year, the prescription I use to manage my diabetes, Levemir, cost me over $3,000 out of pocket.
I am on Social Security, Medicare, and supplemental plans for Medicare Part B and prescription drugs. My income on Social Security is limited, and a lot of it was going toward affording the drugs that keep me alive. Fortunately I have recently been able to switch from Levemir to an oral medication, which costs me less out of pocket.
Though I am fortunate to be able to switch from the injectable to the oral medication, the financial worry of having to go back on Levemir never leaves my mind –– and not everyone is lucky enough to be able to switch medications when one is too expensive. Even with this switch, the cost of some of my oral medications is still outrageous. One drug that I am on, Farxiga, is listed at $491.41 per month, a 58% price increase since it came to market in 2014.
I am more fortunate than most, but spending over $3,000 a year on prescription medications was a huge financial burden, and that burden remains heavy in my mind. To afford these drugs I had to cut the number of trips I took to visit my daughter and her family. I never take vacations for leisure and I have no wiggle room in my budget. I’m living as frugally as I can and I’m still struggling because of drug prices.
The stress and worry of managing an illness is enough of a burden alone –– no one should have to worry about the financial implications on top of that. The cost of prescription drugs is too high and it is time for real change.
My name is Lori Horner, I am 57 years old, and I fight my cancer every day.
I was initially diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia on April 4, 2017 –– that’s the day my life changed forever. It came as a total shock to me and my family. I believed this was my death sentence. I began my treatment, and within three weeks I received my chemo pills. When I saw my bill, I was utterly shocked. It was $13,000 for just one month’s supply! This is a medication that costs over $400 a pill and that I have to take every day for the rest of my life. No if, ands, or buts about it.
I am currently on both Medicare and Medicaid, but not for long. Once I hit 65, I will lose my Medicaid benefits, and I don’t know how I will continue to manage my health. I often joke with my friends that I must own share in a yacht somewhere with the amount of money I’ve put in Big Pharma’s pockets. It is almost criminal.
My biggest fear is that I will end up in hospice because there is no way I can afford this. Eventually, my treatment will have to stop and I will just pass away. I have prepared myself for this heartbreaking reality –– but I shouldn’t have to. This shouldn’t be the reality for patients.
I’m more than angry over this. It is ridiculous that patients like me have to go through this on top of our physical symptoms. Our elected officials must act. Lives are literally at risk. We must do better by American patients.
COLUMBUS — As rising drug prices continue to crush patients and the window for Congress to act closes, Patients For Affordable Drugs Now expanded its multi-million dollar campaign to Ohio to ask Sen. Rob Portman to call for a vote on a key bill in the Senate that would protect Americans from unjustified drug price hikes.
Currently, the average American pays two to three times more for prescription drugs than citizens in other wealthy countries. The Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2019 would curtail runaway price hikes in America and cap out-of-pocket costs for patients on Medicare, who can face more than $15,000 a year in drug costs.
“President Trump supports the Senate bill, and now we’re asking Senator Portman to call for a vote on this important bipartisan legislation,” said David Mitchell, a cancer patient and the founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “Patients need the senator to stand up for them and lower drug prices now.”
These ads come on the heels of a campaign in August when Patients For Affordable Drugs Now thanked Sen. Portman for supporting the Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2019 in the Senate Finance committee.
Now, today’s ads — featuring patients speaking out in support of the Senate bill — encourage him to keep up the fight and call for a vote. In addition to paid media, the effort features visits from patients to Washington to share their stories in person and gives patients a suite of tools to contact their representatives in support of lowering drug prices.
Big Pharma is spending millions to distort, demonize, and relentlessly attack these proposals because the changes could actually break the rigged system that keeps their profits high and patients costs skyrocketing.
Americans overwhelmingly support action to lower drug prices. Eighty-six percent of Americans — majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents — support allowing Medicare to negotiate. 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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DES MOINES — As rising drug prices continue to crush patients and the window for Congress to act closes, Patients For Affordable Drugs Now expanded its multi-million dollar campaign into Iowa to ask Sen. Joni Ernstto support a key bill in the Senate that would protect Americans from unjustified drug price hikes.
Currently, the average American pays two to three times more for prescription drugs than citizens in other wealthy countries. The Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2019 would curtail runaway price hikes in America and cap out-of-pocket costs for patients on Medicare, who can face more than $15,000 a year in drug costs.
“President Trump supports the Senate bill, and now we’re asking Sen. Ernst to join in calling for a vote on this important bipartisan legislation,” said David Mitchell, a cancer patient and the founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “Patients are asking her to stand with us — not Big Pharma.”
Today’s ads are part of the multi-million dollar campaign Patients For Affordable Drugs Now launched last month that features patients speaking out in support of proposals in the House and Senate to rein in skyrocketing drug prices. In August, P4ADNow thanked GOP members, including Sen. Chuck Grassley, for supporting reforms.
The campaign features TV, digital, and radio ads across the country that show the toll high prescription drug prices are taking on everyday Americans. In addition to paid media, the effort features visits from patients to Washington to share their stories in person and gives patients a suite of tools to contact their representatives in support of lowering drug prices.
Big Pharma is spending millions to distort, demonize, and relentlessly attack these proposals because the changes could actually break the rigged system that keeps pharma profits high and patients’ costs skyrocketing.
Americans overwhelmingly support action to lower drug prices. Eighty-six percent of Americans — majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents — support allowing Medicare to negotiate. 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.
