The Frederick News-Post
October 19, 2018
Thomas Slater
The cost of prescription drugs is skyrocketing out of control, sometimes with terrible consequences for people who depend on those drugs to survive. I hear more and more about people having to choose between basic necessities like food and housing vs. purchasing their prescription drugs. Yet at the same time, drug manufacturers charge Americans much more for their prescriptions than they charge other countries. Drug manufacturers also spend much more on advertising than they do on research and development.
Maryland needs strong leadership to address this critical issue. Thankfully, over 130 candidates for General Assembly have endorsed a proposal to create a Prescription Drug Affordability Board to look at very high-cost drugs and collect data from all along the supply chain to determine fair and affordable rates for Maryland to pay. This includes six candidates in Frederick County: Senate candidates Sen. Ron Young and Jessica Douglass, and House of Delegates candidates Delegate Karen Lewis Young, Delegate Carol Krimm, Darrin Smith, Ysela Bravo and Lois Jarman.
These individuals have shown that they will stand up for their constituents and work to make sure Marylanders have access to the prescription drugs they need. Marylanders deserve nothing less.
