Perspectives: Drug Price Policy May Lift Costs For Some; To Lower Prescription Prices, Competition Is Key
Read recent commentaries about pharmaceutical issues.
The State Journal:
New Drug Pricing Policy Could Raise Costs For Millions
It's troubling that among Americans over 64, a full 25% struggle to afford their medicines, according to a poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation. A separate analysis by the Department of Health and Human Services put the number of Medicare patients struggling with pharmacy costs at more than three million in 2019. (Kenneth Thorpe, 10/7)
Tallahassee Democrat:
Competition Is Really Key To Lowering Prescription Prices
There’s been a lot of attention on the federal government’s move to set price limits on 10 prescription drugs under Medicare to help reduce costs. While it’s encouraging to see some relief for a segment of consumers, this is merely a drop in the bucket when it comes to overall prescription drug cost savings – and more needs to be done to help Floridians. (Keith Dean, 10/4)
The Cap Times:
Middlemen Jacking Up Patient Drug Costs
While insurers and their related entities should have the ability to question fraudulent or unnecessary treatments, they should not artificially inflate patient out-of-pocket costs to boost their profits. However, this is precisely what pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) — the middlemen negotiating drug prices with pharmaceutical companies — are doing. (Dodson Thompson, 10/3)
Mississippi Free Press:
Drug Prices Improved Under Biden-Harris And Trump, But Not For Everyone And Not Enough
As director of the Health Outcomes, Policy, and Evidence Synthesis group at the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy, I teach and study about the ethics of prescription drug prices and the complexities of drug pricing nationally. (C. Michael White, 10/3)