Ryan McGraw
Community Organizer – Healthcare
Tell State Legislators to Support HB 3493
Access Living is very concerned about the rising costs of prescription drugs. People with disabilities are often forced to pay out of pocket for medications because Medicaid will not cover medications that are critical to their health. It is not right that people often have to cut pills and/or skip doses of medication because they cannot afford their medications. On low income, you may be forced to decide whether to pay for your prescription or groceries.
Examples of how high prescription drug prices affecting people with disabilities include:
- Between 2002 and 2013 the cost of insulin has tripled. Because of the rising cost one in four people living with diabetes have been forced to ration their doses of insulin.
- It is estimated that 40% of people living with Multiple Sclerosis skip doses of medications that modify the course of the disease because they cannot afford them.
- The cost of rheumatoid arthritis medications have increased 70% in three years, from $10,000 to $40,000 per year.
Today, advocates in Springfield from Access Living and Protect Our Care Illinois are speaking with Illinois legislators in support of HB 3493, a bill that would create a Prescription Drug Affordability Board (PDAB). The PDAB would provide oversight of prescription drug prices set by pharmaceutical companies. By reviewing prices of and setting payment limits on medications the PDAB would work to keep the cost of prescription drugs at an affordable rate for those that use them.
Please contact your state representative today to tell them why HR 3493 is important to us: the rising costs of prescription drugs is a crisis. Click here to contact your state representative.
For more information on prescription drug pricing advocacy contact Ryan McGraw.
You can also find more information and resources about HB 3493 at the Protect Our Care Illinois website: https://protectourcareil.org/.