These days when politics plays out in cable news soundbites and divisive Twitter messages, it’s easy to forget that there is work going on in Washington to address the very real problems facing our country. One of those important issues is the high cost of prescription drugs, which disproportionately affects Maine’s senior citizens. We are fortunate that Sen. Susan Collins is leading efforts to address this, to crackdown on corporate greed, and to help reduce costs for all of us.

Collins successfully passed a law that allows pharmacists to tell their customers when it would be cheaper for them to pay out of their own pockets rather than to use their insurance to pay for a prescription. Believe it or not, pharmacists used to be contractually barred from doing so even when they knew their customer could be paying less. Thanks to Sen. Collins, this is no longer the case.

Most recently, Sen. Collins is leading a bipartisan effort to pass the Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act, which among other things, would cap out-of-pocket drug expenses for Medicare beneficiaries and require drug companies to pay a penalty if they raise prices higher than the rate of inflation. I urge Senate leaders to bring this legislation to the floor as soon as possible.

It’s certainly a complicated issue, but I am thankful and reassured knowing that Sen. Collins cares, and that she is in the middle of the fight seeking a solution that will help Mainers save their hard-earned money.

 

Elizabeth Vallee

Augusta

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