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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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CONTACT:
Lauren Rooney |
State Rep. Barb
McIlvaine Smith |
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McIlvaine Smith hosts local hearing on prescription drug crisis in Pa.
WEST CHESTER, March 16 – State Rep. Barb McIlvaine Smith hosted a House Majority Policy Committee hearing titled “Pa. Healthcare – Picking up the Script” at the West Goshen Municipal Building on Thursday.
The hearing was designed to address the rising costs of prescription drugs and testifiers were invited to share their problems and suggest solutions. Representatives from the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America were invited to speak.
“We invited all of the stakeholders, including the pharmaceutical industry, to this meeting because we feel everyone should have the opportunity to share their concerns and ideas,” McIlvaine Smith said. “Drug companies are certainly a part of the problem, so they must also be a part of the solution.”
More than a dozen people testified. The pharmacists testified that they feel caught in the middle between drug companies and insurance companies and suggested a more uniform system. Consumer advocates argued that while consumers are often locked into a prescription drug plan for a full year, drug companies are not and therefore can make changes that often result in their medication no longer being covered. And a state Public Welfare Department official suggested being able to buy drugs in bulk would lower costs to consumers.
“Getting a prescription drug that you need is a right, not a privilege. People should not be forced to choose between getting the medicine they need to stay healthy and paying their rent or mortgage and buying food,” McIlvaine Smith said.
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