With
the support of the AARP, Colorado Senior Lobby, Colorado AFL-CIO,
CoPIRG Citizen Lobby, Colorado Progressive Coalition, Representative
Tom Plant unveiled his plan today for making prescription medications
more affordable for the citizens of Colorado.
Representative
Tom Plant (D-Nederland) introduced the bill he calls "The Prescription
Drug Fair Pricing Act" to address the problem of escalating
prescription drug costs. He says, "The Prescription Drug industry is
the single most profitable industry in the world. Much of that profit
is being realized at the expense of our oldest, poorest and most infirm
citizens. These are citizens who are making choices whether to purchase
their prescribed drugs or buy food. Whether to guard their health or
heat their homes. The Prescription Drug Fair Pricing Act will seek to
achieve a sense of equity in pricing of prescription drugs".
Our
health care system is coming under increasing strain from escalating
costs, especially skyrocketing prescription drug prices.
Drug
costs are rising three times faster than overall health care costs.
Americans pay the highest prescription drug prices in the world. Many
senior citizens and consumers can no longer afford prescription drugs.
Roughly one half of all prescriptions written for the elderly go
unfilled, primarily because they can't afford the price.
"25%
of Medicare H.M.O. enrollees do not have a prescription drug benefit
today, while many who do face caps on annual drug benefits. These
benefits are becoming more restrictive and force many seniors to pay
high out of pocket costs. Prescription drugs help keep people healthy,
independent, and out of the hospital and seniors should not have to cut
back on important living items in order to afford prescription drugs.
Colorado Senior Lobby believes that it is necessary to find an
affordable way to provide prescription drug coverage for those who need
it, that's why we support House Bill 1108," said Fern Osborn, President
of the Colorado Senior Lobby's.
The
legislation directs the state government to use its bulk purchasing
power to negotiate steep discounts and pass the savings on to those who
have no prescription drug insurance coverage, including retirees who
rely on Medicare.
Specifically, this legislation:
- Negotiates
for all residents who do not have prescription drug coverage under a
public or private health insurance plan, approximately one-fourth of
all residents.
- Gives
the state government the responsibility to negotiate substantial
rebates from drug companies and discounts from drug retailers, then
passes the savings along to participants.
Dr.
Mark Reid, a Doctor of Internal Medicine in Denver acknowledges the
problem and supports Representative Plant's bill. "Senior citizens,
particularly those on Medicare, are those who need the prescription
drugs the most and can afford it the least. I frequently can't
prescribe certain medications to my older patients who lack
prescription drug coverage because they cannot afford to get their
prescriptions filled. As a doctor, that is a source of tremendous
aggravation for me."
Consumers
without prescription drug coverage are being charged almost double the
average price charged to the prescription drug industry's most favored
customers, according to a survey released today by CoPIRG Citizen
Lobby.
"This
survey clearly shows that uninsured Coloradans pay nearly twice as much
for prescription drugs as large health plans and federal agencies,"
said Lorez Meinhold, CoPIRG Citizen Lobby Health Care Advocate.
"Colorado's most vulnerable populations must often make difficult
decisions between buying necessary medications and other essentials.
That is a difficult pill to swallow." The survey found that on average,
Coloradans without drug coverage pay 88% more for the drugs most
commonly used to treat a variety of illnesses.
"This
is a major quality of life issue for seniors. Access to affordable
prescription drugs can often make the difference between living on your
own independently as you age, opposed to relying on expensive health
and long-term care institutions." said Bill Shultz, Coordinator, AARP
Colorado State Legislative Committee. Shultz went on to say: "According
to a 1998 Wall Street Journal Poll, the average Medicare beneficiary
takes 18 prescriptions a year. Many Colorado seniors are without
prescription drug coverage, HB-1108 would offer them an option to vital
prescription drugs".
Dennis
Roe, a retiree and board member of the Colorado Progressive Coalition,
a statewide network of low- and moderate-income Coloradans, said: "For
seniors like me, we need prescription drugs to be healthy and we need
food to nourish our bodies. When prescription drug prices rise as high
as they have today, seniors and other low-income people are forced to
make impossible choices, do we eat and pay our rent or do we buy the
prescription drugs we need to stay alive and active? It's time for
Colorado to take steps to lower prescription drug prices for all who
need help."
