From Moms Rising (https://www.momsrising.org/):
We are delighted that President Biden issued an Executive Order this week to help lower drug prices. [1] This is a great start! But this order alone won’t fundamentally solve the problem of price gouging by pharmaceutical companies that have monopoly power to set and increase prices whenever they want.
We need Congress to act to lower prescription drug prices now! Take action at https://action.momsrising.org/sign/rx_action3.
While the new Executive Order helps, there are limits on what drugs can be imported, and competition alone won’t make drugs affordable for many people given that many drugs don’t have generic versions or enough generics on the market to bring down prices. Thus, there is still a lot of work to do when it comes to prescription drug affordability for families.
*Quick signature: Tell Congress to take action to lower prescription drug prices.
What’s happening? Millions of Americans cannot afford their medicines, while drug companies are making record profits. Americans should not have to choose between paying for the medicines they need or paying for their food and rent—especially when billions of our tax dollars are going toward research and development for new medicines. Drug companies raise the price of existing drugs like insulin year after year, with no reason other than that they can. Even during the pandemic and economic crisis, drug companies raised the prices of more than 500 medicines. [2]
To make matters worse, as drug prices have risen, insurers are shifting costs to consumers and families are being impacted most. Across the country, families are facing poor health outcomes due to drug prices preventing them from being able to access and afford the medication they need to maintain their health. [3] Americans should not pay three times more for medicines than people in other countries do. [4] There are solutions and our government can fix this. To truly lower drug prices for everyone, Congress needs to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices, end monopoly control of drug prices by corporations, and help people afford out-of-pocket costs. And they need to do it now!
We need to tell Congress to include bold drug pricing reform in reconciliation!
*Sign on now! Tell Congress to take meaningful action to rein in prescription drug prices.
Here is what our petition says:
Dear members of Congress,
Everyone should be able to access and afford the medication they need in order to live a healthy, productive life. As drug prices have risen, insurers are shifting costs to consumers and families are being impacted most. Across the country, families are at risk for poor health outcomes because drug prices are preventing them from maintaining their health. We cannot stand silent as this continues.
To truly lower drug prices for everyone, we urge you to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices, end monopoly control of drug prices by corporations, and help people afford out-of-pocket costs!
The top priority for action must be to address outrageous list prices that manufacturers charge, which drive costs throughout the system. Additional policies to bring prices under control should ultimately encompass the entire supply chain. The repercussions are horrendous when our loved ones skip medication. It can lead to deteriorating health conditions as they try to treat diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol, and other chronic conditions. Please work together to rein in rising prescription drug prices and consequently save the lives of countless Americans.
Don’t forget to sign on! Lives are at stake. We cannot sit by and continue to let pharmaceutical companies put profits before the lives of our family members and friends. We need Congress to take action.
The more people who speak out, the bigger our impact. Please take a moment to forward our action link to your friends and family and share our action link on social media: https://action.momsrising.org/sign/rx_action3
Together we are a powerful voice for the health of families.
References:
[1] Washington Post, Biden calls for efforts to lower drug prices as part of executive order to foster competition[2] CBS News, Big drug makers just raised their prices on 500 prescription drugs
[3] U.S. PIRG, The Real Price of Medications
[4] Becker’s Hospital Review, Americans pay up to 67 times more for drugs than those in other countries
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