skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Monday, December 4, 2023

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

NH gun-safety advocates advise services, bipartisan laws after deadly shootings; Food banks, pantries address rising food insecurity during winter holidays; Despite cost debate, some MN businesses intrigued by paid-leave law.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Muslim American leaders in swing states like Michigan threaten to Abandon Biden, VP Harris criticizes greenwashing at COP28, former congresswoman Cheney calls the GOP a "threat," and George Santos is expelled.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Congress has iced the Farm Bill, but farmer advocates argue some portions are urgent, the Hoosier State is reaping big rewards from wind and solar, and opponents react to a road through Alaska's Brooks Range, long a dream destination for hunters and anglers.

Mainers Celebrate First Step in Lowering Medicare Drug Prices

play audio
Play

Tuesday, September 12, 2023   

Hundreds of thousands of Mainers are expected to benefit from the Biden Administration's recent announcement that it will begin drug price negotiations with Medicare. A list of 10 widely-used medicines, treating cancer, diabetes and other conditions, marks the start of a new program aimed at lowering what are some of the highest prescription drug prices in the world.

Noël Bonam, AARP Maine state director called it a monumental step forward.

"It will make a huge difference in the lives of Mainers not just in terms of their financial security but in terms of their general well-being because then they're not having to make really tough choices," Bonam said.

Bonam added those choices often include paying for doctor-prescribed medications or paying for heat or food. Pharmaceutical companies have vowed to sue the federal government to prevent it from lowering drug prices, claiming it will prevent future drug research and innovation.

Bonam said taxpayers will foot the bill for much of that research, and added Congress should allow Americans to purchase their medications from other countries, where prices are dramatically lower - including right across the border in Canada.

"When you can buy a cheap wicker chair from another country because it's cheaper, why shouldn't you be able to buy prescription drugs from another country? They're a lot cheaper," Bonam continued.

Over the next four years, Medicare will negotiate prices for up to 60 drugs covered under Medicare Part D and Part B, and up to an additional 20 drugs every year after that. Bonam encourages the Administration to keep going, and add more to the list, as 60% of adults report not taking their medicine as prescribed due to cost. Medicare recipients take, on average, four or more medications a day.

Disclosure: AARP Maine contributes to our fund for reporting on Consumer Issues, Health Issues, Senior Issues, Social Justice. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
According to data by SCORE, 75% of small business owners donate an average of 6% of their profits to charitable organizations each year. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Small Business Saturday has come and gone and the North Carolina Sustainable Business Council urged people to keep "shopping local" this season…


Social Issues

play sound

Gun-safety advocates in New Hampshire are urging Gov. Chris Sununu to back policies proven to reduce gun violence following a series of deadly …

Social Issues

play sound

A new report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau found the repayment process for federal student loans has been filled with errors…


Minnesota's new paid leave law, scheduled to take effect in 2026, will distribute benefits through a state-operated insurance pool funded by employers and employees. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Minnesota is two years away from enacting its new paid leave law and while the debate over costs has resurfaced, some in the small business community …

Social Issues

play sound

A lawsuit challenging Wisconsin's collective near-total bargaining ban for most public workers is by some seen as a way to bolster the state's beleagu…

The Environmental Protection Agency is working on rules that will incentivize the transition to heavy-duty electric vehicles. (VanderWolf Images/Adobestock)

play sound

As the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai wraps up, Democratic lawmakers and clean-air advocates are calling on the Environmental …

Environment

play sound

NASA-funded research using satellites to study atmospheric nitrogen will examine how different farming approaches affect greenhouse gas emissions…

play sound

The American Gas Association misled the public on the health effects of burning gas for decades. Now, a coalition wants the Washington State …

 

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