AARP Maryland President: Congress Must Act to Lower Drug Prices

Last week, President Trump and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced the Safe Importation Action Plan to help rein in the drug industry's unchallenged dominance over pricing, reports the Baltimore Sun . Yet getting Americans affordable drugs requires a much greater legislative effort, writes James Campbell, the AARP Maryland state president in an op-ed. He calls on the U.S. Senate to approve the bipartisan Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act and advocate for granting Medicare the authority to negotiate with drug companies for lower prices. The companies' control over prices has been especially harmful to older Americans, Campbell adds. Those enrolled in Medicare Part D take an average of four to five monthly prescriptions, and their average annual income is about $26,000. Pricing is a key reason why one in three Americans has not taken a prescribed drug. The bill in the Senate would cap out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors and regulate drugmakers whose price hikes overtake inflation.