To the editor:
Rising drug prices are hitting Mainers hard. My constituents tell me regularly that they are struggling to afford their prescriptions at the pharmacy. Brand-name drug companies have raised prices at 10 times the rate of inflation, creating a crisis that has become too big to ignore.
The good news is that legislative relief has a chance of advancing in Washington. The bipartisan Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2019 will help lower prices by boosting competition and increasing transparency, as well as capping out-of-pocket costs for seniors under Medicare Part D. It will hold Big Pharma accountable by disincentivizing price-gouging and limiting the price hikes.
This is a long-overdue solution that will address the crisis head-on. I commend [U.S.] Sen. Susan Collins for her support of this bill package and all that she’s doing for the people of Maine to rein in out-of-control drug prices. Thanks to her leadership, Mainers may start to see some relief in the near future. I urge Senator Collins’ colleagues in the Senate to follow her lead and keep their commitment to the American people by passing market-based solutions to lower drug prices and hold Big Pharma accountable.
Rep. Dustin M. White
Washburn
