Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Perspectives: Coloradans Weigh Pros, Cons Of Prescription-Drug Oversight
Denver Post: Colorado Needs Oversight Of Prescription Drug Prices Like The Board Created In Senate Bill 175
The only cost greater than that of prescription drugs today is the cost of doing nothing. Colorado families have struggled for too long, choosing between paying their bills and purchasing life-saving medications. We don’t want to see any more patients walk away without the medications they need because of the cost. Colorado families have been asking lawmakers to take action on rising prescription drug costs for years. Senate Bill 175 would do just that, creating a Prescription Drug Affordability Board to set upper payment limits on the most unaffordable drugs. This bill can’t come soon enough. (Kyle Leggott, 4/26)
Colorado Sun: Colorado Needs A Prescription Drug Affordability Board To Protect The Public Interest
As someone living with multiple sclerosis, I have seen first hand the cost of MS disease modifying therapies (DMTs) rise, making these essential medications unattainable for some patients. Drug prices for individuals with MS quadrupled between 2006 and 2016 and continue to rise. MS DMT costs have accelerated at rates far beyond inflation and considerably above rates of other specialty drugs. (David Pflueger, 4/25)
Colorado Sun: A Prescription-Drug Price-Control Bill Is The Wrong Answer For Colorado
Does Colorado want to be the nation’s guinea pig to test the ideas of an out-of-state billionaire who thinks that the way to bring down the cost of certain prescription drugs is for states to build a bureaucracy and control those prices? Senate Bill 175 would have Colorado do just that. (Joni Inman, 4/25)
Daily Camera: Dr. Sheila Davis: Prescription Drug Unaffordability Crisis Exacerbates Racial Disparities In Health
As a medical professional dedicated to reducing health disparities, the COVID19 pandemic has highlighted the painful inequities in our health care system that I have seen throughout my career. Structural racism and government policies concentrate health risk and chronic disease burden in communities of color. Compounding these barriers to wellness is the affordability crisis– at least 1 in 5 Coloradans of color struggle with medical debt. As we work to bring this pandemic to an end, we must build back a more equitable health care system and economy. Ensuring consumers have access to affordable drugs is a critical and often overlooked piece of this puzzle. (Dr. Sheila Davis, 4/23)
Also —
South Florida Sun-Sentinel: Proposed Price Controls Dim The Promise Of New Vaccine Tech
The good news keeps coming for seniors.The CDC recently announced that fully vaccinated Americans can gather indoors with friends and family — without wearing masks or social distancing. This guidance is great news for everyone, but especially for older Americans, who’ve rightly been prioritized for vaccines. Tens of millions of seniors have been jabbed. Given their higher-risk status, many had foregone physical contact with loved ones, including grandchildren, for over a year. Now, there’s no longer any need to live in isolation. ... Yet, inexplicably, some politicians seem eager to destroy the delicate ecosystem that makes these medical breakthrough ventures possible. (Saul Anuzis, 4/25)
