Choosing Between Groceries and Rx Medications, That's not Right

A healthcare system that only works for people who can afford it is not working.

A senior choosing between groceries and prescription medication is not a rare story in America. It’s happening every day.

People are rationing insulin, delaying treatment, and taking on debt just to afford the medications they need to survive. Meanwhile, Americans continue to pay some of the highest prescription drug prices in the world. This is unacceptable.

The system is designed in a way that makes accountability hard to find. Drug companies blame insurers. Insurers blame pharmacy benefit managers. Pharmacy benefit managers blame manufacturers. Everyone points fingers while families keep paying more.

We’ve seen life-saving medications suddenly spike in price. We’ve seen cancer treatments cost dramatically more in the United States than the exact same drugs overseas. And through it all, the people carrying the burden are patients and families. Healthcare should put patients before profits.

That starts with immediate relief. We should reverse cuts to ACA subsidies that help families afford care in the first place. We should investigate monopoly drug pricing practices, increase transparency around pharmaceutical costs, and stop allowing corporate incentives to drive up prices year after year.

Longer term, we need structural reform that reduces the friction and profit incentives that have made healthcare more expensive and less accessible for decades. That includes moving away from systems that prioritize shareholder value over affordable care and smart expansion of Medicare in a phased and responsible way.

No one should have to choose between paying rent and filling a prescription. A healthcare system that only works for people who can afford it is not working.

CARIN’S STANCE | Investigate monopoly drug pricing, international pricing, and excessive advertizing costs. Understanding that drug companies need to recoup money for research and clinical trial approvals, prices should reflect a price closer to care delivery costs.