skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Granite Staters: Time is Now to Lower Prescription-Drug Costs

play audio
Play

Thursday, April 14, 2022   

Advocates for older Americans are urging Congress to take action on lowering drug prices, specifically, allowing Medicare to negotiate with drug companies.

The Build Back Better Act would have done so, as well as cap out-of-pocket costs for seniors and impose tax penalties on drug companies for excessive pricing. The legislation has been stalled in the U.S. Senate after the House passed it last year.

In New Hampshire, the average annual cost of prescription drug treatment increased by more than a quarter from 2015 to 2019, but annual income for residents only increased 9%.

Jennifer Delaney, associate state director of advocacy, AARP New Hampshire said the price inflation is hurting Granite Staters.

"A lot of folks cannot afford their drugs," Delaney observed. "They're choosing between heating their homes, putting food on the table or taking their life-saving prescription medicines. And I'm talking about folks who have cancer, Parkinson's, diabetes."

Delaney pointed out when people ration their medicine or skip doses, it can have negative health outcomes, and even lead to hospitalization. She added according to the Congressional Budget Office, drug-pricing measures passed by the House would save the federal government hundreds of billions of dollars over the next two decades.

Megan O'Reilly, vice president of federal health and family government affairs for AARP, said the Senate Finance Committee recently held a hearing on the urgent need to lower drug prices. Opponents argued it would harm innovation, but O'Reilly noted support for Medicare negotiation is high across the political spectrum.

"Taxpayers are bearing the burden of these increased prices, but they've also been paying to help in the research and development of them," O'Reilly contended. "And yet there's no check on the drug industry, as they continue to raise these rates, really, out of the pocketbooks of families across New Hampshire and across the country."

More than 85% of respondents to an AARP survey said Congress needs to take action to lower drug prices. More than 75% of Democrats and more than 50% of Republicans said they would look more favorably on a political candidate who supports reducing drug costs.

Disclosure: AARP New Hampshire contributes to our fund for reporting on Budget Policy & Priorities, Health Issues, and Senior Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021