Good stuff from the Committee to Protect Healthcare, “a national mobilization of doctors, health care professionals, and advocates who are building a pro-patient health care majority in Congress and in states so that we can live in an America where everyone has the health care they need to thrive.”
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VIDEO RECORDING: Virginia Physicians Denounce Gov. Youngkin’s Prescription Drug Affordability Board Veto, Call on Leadership in Richmond to Put Patients Over Profits
Physicians share how Board would have helped patients better afford prescriptions
RICHMOND — After Governor Glenn Youngkin vetoed legislation that would have established a Prescription Drug Affordability Board, Virginia physicians gathered virtually to criticize the decision and share how such a board would have helped patients like theirs. They also called on Republicans in the General Assembly, who could have helped override the veto, to support efforts to put patients ahead of pharmaceutical corporation profits.
“Right now, too many Virginians are being forced to choose between paying for prescriptions and putting food on the table … That’s why I’m deeply disappointed in the Youngkin/Earle-Sears administration for vetoing a solution to this critical issue,” said Dr. Kimberly Chernoby, an Emergency Medicine physician in Alexandria. “This legislation would have created a Prescription Drug Affordability Board — an independent body designed to rein in out-of-control prescription drug costs. It’s a commonsense solution — one that seven other states, both red and blue, have already implemented. We need lawmakers in Richmond to do better. We’re grateful to the many members of the General Assembly who voted to pass this legislation, but disappointed in lawmakers who voted against it. We need our leaders — both in the General Assembly and the Governor’s administration — to stand up to Big Pharma and put patients first.”
A Prescription Drug Affordability Board would review high-cost prescription drugs and set reasonable rates for Virginians to pay for certain medications. The Board would be an independent body of health and medical experts, using proven, data-based strategies that are already working in other states to lower prescription drug prices.
“One of the most heartbreaking conversations I have with patients is when they tell me they’ve stopped taking their medications—not because they want to, but because they can’t afford to,” said Dr. John Prescott, a retired Emergency Medicine physician in Lake Frederick. “This shouldn’t be happening in Virginia. The Youngkin/Earle-Sears administration could have addressed this. Republicans in the General Assembly could have addressed this. Virginians of all political backgrounds overwhelmingly support action on drug prices — 75% of voters support a PDAB, including 71% of Republicans. Our lawmakers should listen to the people they represent, not the pharmaceutical lobby.”
“Prescription drug costs have risen 57% in just three years for Virginia taxpayers,” said Dr. Rommaan Ahmad, a Pain Management Physiatrist in Alexandria. “Our commonwealth is now spending more than $3 billion on medications alone. That’s money that could be going toward better health care, schools, and infrastructure. Meanwhile, pharmaceutical companies are making record profits. They hiked the price of 112 drugs last year at rates higher than inflation — just because they can. And without action from lawmakers, they’ll keep doing it. We need leaders in Richmond who will fight for their constituents and take action on drug prices. This issue isn’t going away—and neither are we. It’s time to put patients first.”
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UPDATE 3/27: See below for a press release from Freedom Virginia on pathological liar Glenn Youngkin’s latest lies.
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