Tell Your Legislators: Vote YES on Prescription Drug Reform
Is the high cost of your prescription drugs making you sick? Now is the time to tell your state legislators to Stop Rx Greed.
Here in Maine, we have a chance to protect consumers from skyrocketing prescription drug prices, but only if you speak out and tell your state legislators to support the game-changing package of prescription drug reform bills now headed for a vote in Augusta.
PLEASE WATCH this video of Mainers, legislators and advocates speaking up about this critical issue.
Use our Action Alert to contact your legislators or pick up the phone and leave a short voicemail for your state Legislators by calling toll-free. 1-844-226-7030. A sample script is below
“Hi, my name is _________ and I live in _________. I’m calling to ask you to fight for more transparent and affordable prescription drug prices by supporting the package of Prescription Drug legislation coming to the floor soon. This first-in-the-nation legislative package will make drug pricing more transparent, open up access to cheaper and safe drugs from Canada, and help older Mainers afford the prescription medications they need day in and day out. Thank you for your service and I'll be watching to see how the legislature votes on this much needed package of legislation.”
Maine has an opportunity to be first in the nation while also doing what's right for Mainers of all ages: Making prescription drugs more affordable for all. A suite of bills will be voted on in Augusta in the coming weeks:
LD 1162 - An Act To Further Expand Drug Price Transparency
LD 1272 - An Act To Increase Access to Low-cost Prescription Drugs
LD 1499 - An Act To Establish the Maine Prescription Drug Affordability Board
LD 1504 - An Act To Protect Consumers from Unfair Practices Related to Pharmacy Benefits Management
It’s Time to #StopRxGreed: AARP on the Front Lines Fighting Soaring Prescription Drug Prices
Americans pay the highest drug prices in the world. Over the last ten years, prices have continued to skyrocket. Congress, the Administration, and importantly, our own Maine legislators must take action now to address this issue.
In Maine, 62 percent of Medicare beneficiaries have one or more chronic diseases, many of which require patients to take multiple medications. In some cases, prescription drugs represent the only defense Mainers have against crippling pain and their fight against serious conditions like heart disease, cancer and diabetes. In 2017, retail prices of some of the most popular medications older Americans take to treat everything from diabetes to high blood pressure increased by an average of 8.4 percent. That is four times the rate of inflation.
No one should have to choose between food and medicine, but some Mainers are doing just that.
To learn more about AARP’s Rx advocacy work and to make your voice heard, visit www.aarp.org/rx. If you are willing to work with us in Maine to bring down prescription drug prices, or if have your own Rx story to share, please email me@aarp.org.
